Sparks
by koa-chan
Summary: Dance/Musical AU. Juvia came to the big city to get a spot in a prestigious dance company. But not everything goes as planned as she meets a ragtag crew of performers struggling to make ends meet, shooting for an opportunity to show the world what they have to offer. / Gruvia and Gajevy-centric, with Nalu, Jerza, Fraxus, Elfgreen, Chendy, Stingue / COMPLETE
1. Just A Small Town Girl

**A/N:** Guess who's back writing a new AU! Weee!

Okay, so a lot of people have messaged me about this already, mostly on Tumblr, some on . I've got this on my profile as an upcoming project. A lot of my followers already knew this was coming. This fic is on my 2015 Checklist. So I figured, I'll go for it for NaNoWriMo 2015. And here it is! I'm still writing the thing - it's a lot smaller than We Are young. Only 50k to 75k words planned. It was originally planned to be three long chapters, but I decided to split them up to shorter ones for convenience.

So yep - this "Sparks", my Fairy Tail Dance AU. It's inspired by a lot of things - musicals, movie musicals, dance movies. Think "Make Your Move", "Rock of Ages" and the "Step Up" franchise. It's got some references to modern music, so I hope y'all like it. I wrote it to play out like a movie. I hope I can keep up with it.

This first chapter is more of a prologue, really. A first meeting between main characters. I won't give away too much. Enjoy!

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 **. SPARKS .  
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 **Chapter 01:  
"Just A Small Town Girl"**  
 _(...living in a lonely world;_  
 _She took a midnight train going anywhere.)  
\- Journey_

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It was almost 2 AM. While streetlights were still alight and there were plenty of shops still open for business, the streets of the big city were mostly empty because most people have already taken shelter from the pouring rain.

Juvia loved the sound of rain, usually - but tonight it only made her feel worse. She didn't know where to go, and while there were lots of open establishments, she was afraid to enter. The sounds of the raindrops hitting the asphalt roads were loud, almost deafening.

She was lost - but that wasn't her biggest problem yet. The worst part is that she was scared. It made it hard for her to think of what to do, of how to get herself out of this mess. When she gets scared, her mind fills with too much information - details - she starts to think too hard: how did things get to this? Where did she go wrong? Why was she even here? What in the world was she thinking when she left home alone for this big concrete jungle where a stranger pretends to befriend you before stealing everything you have, and others do nothing to help? How could she fall for that? She was 22 years old - she was supposed to be an adult now. She should have been able to do something, she should have known what to do right away, she should have-

She tried to get a grip of herself, but it was hard to do it when she felt all these eyes on her - people from inside the shops, people walking safely under their umbrellas - she must look pathetic, all wet and dripping outside in the rain, clutching her small bag so the contents wouldn't be wet… Every so often, these loud vehicles would pass by, fast and making her jump, distracting her train of thought.

She needed to get somewhere quiet, a shade without prying eyes. Juvia looked around and started to trudge along a downward slope, heading into a spot in town where she could see less lights and cars. It wasn't the smartest move, but at least… there… she could think. Maybe.

The street was a mess of closed shops and tall apartment buildings. Only very few lights were on. Juvia was familiar with less-privileged areas, and it seems like this was one of those places. She'd expect people in the darker alleyways, but even those people would undoubtedly take shelter themselves.

See? It was darker and quieter; even with the rain, she was now thinking a bit clearer. She looked around, contemplating if she should stand under one of the buildings' main entrances just to get out of the rain, when she turned her head and saw a darkened street. There, in what looked like an abandoned building, was something of an open parking space.

Juvia hurriedly ran towards shelter. She breathed out in relief as she finally got out of the rain and had time to gather herself.

First, she checked what was left of her belongings on her bag: her purse with some emergency money (it had some cash, but not much), her ID wallet, her phone (it was dead, and wet from the rain so probably busted too), her planner and a few pens and notebooks, a cheap mp3 player and earphones (which were thankfully saved from the rain but she's not too sure), hairbrush and some emergency supplies, wet tissues and an equally wet handkerchief...

This is all that was left - but it was better than nothing, she firmly decided, now that she was feeling slightly warmer in the mostly empty parking lot. She looked around, there were two cars and a beat-up van. There was a door too, but the lights were off. To the far left, there was a staircase going up.

Deciding that she was too tired to worry about the technicalities, Juvia walked towards the staircase and sat on the bottom step, leaned against the railings and tried to keep herself warm.

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She didn't know how long she had been there, but she must have fallen asleep despite her wet state, only to wake up to an unfamiliar voice.

"Levy? It's 3 AM, did you get locked out?"

Juvia sharply looked up, and saw a man, close to her age, with raven hair, dark eyes and a surprised expression on his face.

She only stared, speechless in both shame and fatigue, while the man raised an eyebrow and spoke again, "Crap. Sorry, I thought you were someone else. Uh… are you here for someone?"

"U-Um, actually, Juvia-..." she then hurriedly corrected herself - "Ju- I… I, um… uhhh- j-just... taking shelter... from the rain."

"Ah." the man nodded. "Yeah, it's pourin' out there, huh? I didn't even have my umbrella. Now my jacket's soaked." he chuckled, indicating a wet black leather jacket in his arm. Then he looked her up and down.

Juvia felt uncomfortable. Here she was again: she must look pathetic, huddled to herself and shivering in the bottom of some old building's staircase.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and she heard the genuine concern in his voice.

"Yes, Juvi-… I just… got caught in the rain for a while." she answered, intentionally excluding the part that she just arrived in the city, got mugged and got lost.

"You from 'round here?"

She shook her head.

"From uptown, then?"

She shook her head again, biting her lip. "I… just arrived in the city…" - there, another fact out. She tried hard not to break down and keep the 'mugged and lost' part to herself for a while longer.

"Wow, and look at the welcome you get." he sighed, as if in perfect sympathy. He actually sounded like he'd had the same experience. Had her situation been a bit better, Juvia would have asked about that. This time she kept quiet. "So you got nowhere to go yet?

"There is… somewhere, but… the rain, and… and Juvia-… I'm kinda… new…"

"You got lost?" he guessed.

Juvia closed her eyes and nodded. He figured things out fast. Did she really look that helpless? Finally she also sighed and admitted, "My things were also stolen."

"You landed in the bad part of town." he clicked his tongue. She looked back up at him, about to ask if that was a normal occurence, but she was cut off when he continued, "You wanna go stay inside for now? You can sort things out in the morning."

"Do… do you… l-live here?" she asked, looking up towards where the staircase led. The door at the top of the steps was closed. Besides, the building looked abandoned when she first saw it.

"Yeah. Err… It doesn't look like much but it's home. C'mon, it's warmer inside." he said, offering a hand. "You can change into something else too."

She thought for a grand total of five seconds before deciding that dying of hypothermia at the bottom of a staircase was not the way she wanted to go. So Juvia accepted his hand and let him help her up. His grip was strong and firm, but when she looked at his face closely, she saw that he looked very tired.

"What's your name?" he asked. Before she could answer, he snorted. "Wait. Sorry, askin' you to come in without introducing myself. Of course that's suspicious. I'm Gray."

"Juvia. Juvia Lockser." she answered, hugging her bag and coat and following him up the stairs.

"Right. Juvia. You 'round the neighborhood when the rain started?"

"Y-Yes..."

Gray was just making conversation now, she knew. He stifled a yawn as he fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door.

"Come in." he said softly. It was dark, and he didn't turn the lights on. Instead, he gently guided her by the elbow to walk with him to another set of stairs. "Sorry, I'm on the 4th floor. Hope you don't mind stairs."

"N-No, it's fine. But… Ju-… I'm getting the floor wet-"

"S'okay, we'll clean that up tomorrow. I mean, later." - this time he yawned again. Juvia felt terrible - here was this obviously tired man and he was helping a stranger. She expected him to be like the others in the city, who didn't care about her when she asked for help.

There was another staircase… and another. "We're here. Good news: no more stairs."

Then they were walking along a hallway with three doors on each side. Gray led Juvia towards one of the rooms. She realized that they were probably in an apartment building, but she must be wrong there too because Gray's door wasn't locked.

When they got inside, Gray cursed. "Aw, shit. Cana." he sighed, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Uh, wait a sec."

Juvia looked around as he headed towards the lone bed on one side of the room. She couldn't see much, but the room looked mostly empty but a bit messy. She saw that there was someone already asleep on the bed, a head of long dark hair peeking out from under the thick blankets.

Gray looked closely at the woman with a frown. "Why're you even in my room?" After a while, he finally sighed in defeat. "Would you be fine with the couch?" he asked Juvia, and she only nodded timidly. At this point, she wouldn't want to intrude or demand anything. The strange building was warm and cozy - a far shot from the bottom of the staircase.

"I don't think you've got extra clothes and you'd wanna get out of that one. Uh, shirt and boxers okay for you?"

Juvia nodded again. She didn't know who this man really was, but he sounded honest and he was helping her and she wasn't about to complain.

Someone she knew would have scolded her, saying that she was too trusting but she shook that off firmly - she had a long day. She couldn't be picky now.

The next few minutes were a blur - he led her to a bathroom down the hall so she could change and told her she can dump her wet clothes in his laundry basket and she can use the dryer in the morning. When she finished, he was already waiting outside, having changed into cotton pants and a shirt, carrying a bunch of pillows and sheets.

"Couch is downstairs. Sorry for that."

"It's… it's really no problem." she said, shifting in place. She felt slightly uncomfortable in someone else's oversized shirt and a pair of boxer shorts she had to tie tightly so it wouldn't slip off from her waist. She clutched her wet bag to her side. "Thank you for this, Gray-sama."

"Oi, what's the -sama for?" he chuckled. "Let's just go get some shut-eye. I've had a hell of a day."

'Same here.' she wanted to say. She wasn't sure if she did so. She was tired now.

She followed him downstairs. He didn't bother turning the lights on as he led her towards the couch. It looked big and comfy. In the dim light from the windows, Juvia saw some bean bags and throwpillows strewn around the coffee table.

Gray handed her a pillow and a fluffy blanket. "Here, I'll be on the floor."

"Gray-sama won't go back to his room?"

"You saw it, my bed's taken. 'Sides, you won't like being alone here when you wake up in the morning. Believe me."

"E-Eh? But-"

"Really, just... take it. I'm so sleepy I can crash anywhere and won't even give a damn 'bout it."

The couch, the pillow and the blankets were so warm that Juvia could practically melt in them. She saw Gray make himself comfortable on the floor beside the couch.

"Night." was all he said before turning to his side, with his back to her. He really must be tired.

Maybe she replied. Her eyelids were dropping. She was about to fall asleep.

"Gray-sama?" she asked softly. There was no reply, but as she watched the unfamiliar man's shoulders rise and fall steadily, she realized he had already fallen fast asleep.

So Juvia just closed her eyes and simply whispered, "Thank you."

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end of ch. 1

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 **A/N:** Can you imagine the fade to black sequence at the end? It's totally there. I know it's short. But hopefully it'll get you looking forward to some more. Next one's coming in a couple of days! :D

 **Next Chapter:** "All That Jazz"  
Guess who performs it because we're getting the first musical number. Oh, and breakfast. Of course there's breakfast first.


	2. All That Jazz

**A/N:** Second chapter - longer! Breakfast! Many introductions!

Like I said, I'm writing it like a movie/dance musical. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it's my first time writing something like this... so go easy on me and please tell me what you think.

If there are some music/dance references in the story, I put 'em in the notes after the chapter.

Also, if you're not familiar with it, I suggest you look up the chapter song and give it a listen! I'm pretty sure the story's more enjoyable if you at least know what some of the stuff sounds like.

Anyway - enjoy!

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 **. SPARKS .  
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 **Chapter 02:  
** _(Come on, babe.  
Why don't we paint the town..._ _)  
_ **"**...and **All That Jazz**? **" _  
_** _\- Chicago The Musical_ ** _  
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Juvia woke up to the smell of food ( _breakfast_ , she noted), the sunlight streaming from the window to her face, and the sounds of activity nearby - familiar sounds of cooking, bustling in the kitchen, of utensils against plates, and unfamiliar voices in a distant conversation.

She was only able to make out some parts of what the strangers were saying.

 _"...you sure Gray..."_

 _"...work late last night..."_

 _"...didn't tell you anything?"_

 _"Oi, quiet!"_

 _"...maybe some family..."_

 _"...don't disturb... asleep..."_

Gray? Who were these people and where was-…

Everything finally came back to Juvia and she sat up straight, hugging the sheets to herself as she looked towards the floor first. Sure enough, there was the man who introduced himself as Gray the previous night. He was still fast asleep, although for some reason during the night he had… taken his shirt off?

She looked around and took in the sight in the light - beanbags and throwpillows everywhere, a coffee table nearby, scattered CDs, earphones, magazines and other things... and a TV set.

When she turned to look behind her, she saw a big dining table, people she didn't know engaged in conversation and eating, while two women bustled around in the kitchen.

"Oh." one of the occupants of the table, a man with orange hair tied back into a ponytail, looked back at Juvia. "She's awake."

Juvia couldn't help but lean backwards a bit when all eyes turned towards her. Beside the orange haired man, there was a big bulky silver-haired guy busy eating breakfast, and another man, with black hair spiked up on top of his head, who tried to smile a friendly smile at her.

The two women in the kitchen also turned around. One of them had glasses and long lavender hair pinned up in a ponytail - she was stirring a large pitcher of orange juice. The other woman, who had long silver hair, looked a bit older than them. She had kind eyes and a motherly smile as she lifted a large plate filled with fried eggs.

"Well, hello!" the woman greeted. She passed the plate to one of the guys sitting in the dining table and wiped her hands in her apron as she approached Juvia. "Good morning! I'm sorry, did we wake you up?"

Consciously, Juvia ran a hand through her hair, trying to comb it with her fingers. "U-um… no, not really… uh-"

"I'm Mira." - and then she smiled. "Apologies for the noise, it's really busy here in the mornings. So, uh, we're not quite familiar with you, so… would you mind… telling us about yourself?"

Juvia was about to answer, but she was surprised when she heard a deep voice from behind her.

"She's mine. I mean-" Gray stopped because he couldn't help but let out a yawn.

"Oi, 'mine' he says!" one of the guys teased. The others cheered.

"I mean mine, as in… I mean a guest… person. Of mine." Gray answered grumpily. Juvia turned to look at him. He was rubbing his eyes, obviously still sleepy. "Dammit what time is it?"

"Seven." the lavender-haired girl chimed in.

"Four hours of sleep." Gray groaned, this time running a hand through his hair. "Mira, we got an extra plate?"

"Oh, no problem with that. Lisanna left early." Mira answered with a smile. She only reached out a hand and squeezed Juvia in the shoulder. "Come on, dear - breakfast's ready. You should join us!" Then she was back in the kitchen.

Gray only yawned again and nodded at Juvia. "C'mon, believe me you'd want to grab some food before the others come."

Juvia simply nodded timidly and followed him towards the dining table. He sat down and she took the seat next to him.

"Juvia," Gray started, and then proceeded to point towards his friends: "This is Jet, Warren, and Elfman." As he did this, they each smiled friendly smiles at her, Elfman even giving a small salute while eating. "You've met Mira. That's Laki. Everyone, this is Juvia."

"Good job, Gray." Jet teased.

"Shut up, it's not like that." Gray rolled his eyes. There were several platters of various breakfast foods served in the table, and Juvia followed Gray's lead as he grabbed a plate from a stack of empty plates and then started taking food. As they ate, Gray did a quick explanation about Juvia to his companions - the short version, that she got mugged and got lost the day before, and ended up in their garage because of the rain. As they listened, Juvia watched as the strangers looked at her in surprise.

"Man, that's tough." Jet shook his head in sympathy.

Warren nodded, "Sorry 'bout your bags."

"It was a good thing Gray found you." Mira said, obviously very concerned. "And you could've woken us up, Gray."

"It was 3 AM." Gray defended. "And I was beat from work."

"D'you have somewhere you can stay in for now?" Laki asked, handing their guest a glass of orange juice.

"Juvia has… something to start with. Juvia was supposed to call a friend but… well, all those things happened." Juvia answered before realizing what she said. She instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, but then noticed that none of her new acquaintances seemed to nitpick about how she talked.

"We'll help you get to your friend then. Don't worry!" was Mira's simple answer.

Laki nodded. "For now, you go eat breakfast."

Juvia watched as her companions resumed eating, Jet asking Gray what happened at his work the previous night, Warren reading the newspaper, Elfman gobbling up another plate. Laki sat with them and also began eating.

Then more people came to breakfast. A petite blue-haired girl sat next to Jet and greeted them all cheerfully, "Mornin', everyone!"

There were several greetings back before she noticed that there was a new face with them. "Oh! Jet said Gray brought a girl home. I didn't believe him. Hello!"

"H-Hello." Juvia nodded.

"My name is Levy." the girl introduced, extending a hand.

Juvia shook it and returned the smile. "Juvia."

Then Jet leaned sidewards and did a quick recap of the story for Levy.

After that, another guy joined them, introducing himself to Juvia as Droy, and Jet just said, "Guest of ours. I'll tell you the whole thing later at work."

Droy accepted that easily and then started eating, seemingly to compete with Elfman.

Then two more joined them: Alzack and Bisca. Laki took the liberty of introducing Juvia to them and explaining the situation.

Again, Juvia observed, they all simply seemed to take it all in stride. They offered her their sympathies and told her they would help in any way they can, then they went on with their usual morning routine.

Mira set one last platter of food in the table before she looked at them all. Juvia noted that she seemed to be doing a head count. "Hm… Erza should be awake by now."

"She spent the night at Jellal's." Levy said casually.

"Ah, okay then. Max?"

Warren answered, "Takin' forever in the shower as usual."

"Natsu?"

"With Lucy." Alzack answered that one. "Saw them heading to the rooftop a while ago. They're probably doing some kind of weird yoga up there again."

"Let's not disturb them. Cana?"

At that, Gray's head snapped up. "Yeah, why was Cana in my room last night?"

He was answered by a new voice. "Because t'was rainin' inside my room and I was too sleepy to do somethin' about it. Pipe's broken again. I really oughtta get that fixed."

Juvia recognized the brunette as the one who was sleeping in Gray's room the previous night. Now that Juvia has seen her in the light, the woman looked very familiar...

"Why didn't you just sleep in the bed with me anyway, it's big enough-…" Cana paused momentarily as she saw Juvia. Then her expression turned curious as she sat with them. "Ohhh, who's this cutie in your shirt?"

Gray answered mechanically. "We're helpin' her 'cause she arrived in town yesterday, got mugged and stuck in the rain last night. Ended up in the garage. Juvia, this is Cana. Cana-"

"- _Alberona_?" Juvia asked, mouth open as she stared at the other woman.

Cana's face broke into a grin. "The only! You've heard of me?"

Juvia stammered, looking in wonder at the brunette. "O-Of course! J-J-Juvia is a fan!"

"Aw, Gray. She's so cute!" Cana laughed. "Look at her!"

Gray looked at their guest. Indeed, Juvia was blushing. Of course Cana looked different without make-up and with her hair pulled up into a quick messy bun, and wearing a simple tank top and cotton shorts, but… the voice and the expression - it WAS undoubtedly THE Cana Alberona.

"G-Gray-sama knows Cana Alberona-sama?" Juvia asked.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately."

"Grumpy-pants." Cana pouted, poking the raven-head. Gray didn't budge.

Juvia looked around and saw that the others have already resumed to talking about something else or eating breakfast. They looked like they were very much used to the Cana-and-Gray antics.

"What is Cana-sama doing in-… Does Cana-sama live here?" Juvia asked, confused.

"Well, technically I have my own flat now, tall building uptown, nice view, pool on the big balcony and all that-"

"-yet she still steals other people's beds." Gray butted in. Juvia looked at him, growing more confused.

"-BUT there's no place like home!" Cana finished, ignoring Gray completely. "For starters, I like my room here when it's not raining inside it. S'more homey."

"Her room's the one next to mine." Gray provided for Juvia's benefit.

"Has been for five years." Cana continued. "Before the big debut. Plus the big rich flat is too big for one person."

It took a moment as Juvia let this sink in. She nodded slowly in understanding, still hardly believing her eyes. She never thought she'd meet one of the best and most celebrated actresses in the current stage musical scene in this shabby abandoned-looking building, sitting with a variety of other people, eating breakfast in the same dining table. These people were… Cana Alberona's friends. Outside of her celebrity status. Even before her outstanding lead actress debut three years ago.

Maybe Juvia was still dreaming.

Yep - the pillow and blanket that Gray gave her the previous night was so warm and comfy… she must still be dreaming.

But dream or not, Juvia tried not to be rude, so she tried not to stare too hard as Cana grabbed a plate, took some food and started eating. Instead she quietly listened in as Gray and Cana talked about the broken piping in the brunette's room, Jet and Droy talked about work, Mira started scolding Elfman about not talking when his mouth was full, Laki and Warren talking about the news and the others just hurrying to finish breakfast and start their day.

It didn't take too long until Jet and Droy were hurriedly leaving to go to work, followed closely by Alzack and Bisca. Warren and Laki also excused themselves and went upstairs, back to their rooms.

Juvia thought about it. The building had a lot of separate rooms and a lot of people, but they all share the same living room and kitchen quarters so… instead of an apartment maybe it was some sort of dormitory?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when another person came trudging towards the dining table.

It was a guy with messy navy blue hair and thick glasses, and still looked half-asleep. "Hey, guysss..." he drawled, sleepily looking at all of them before yawning and stretching. If he noticed an unfamiliar face, he didn't show it.

"Hey, Bixlow." Levy greeted.

Everyone watched as Bixlow stopped by the table, took a plate and slowly began shovelling food in it. "I'm just gonna take a plate upstairs if it's okay with y'all. I got this code fix I hafta finish 'cause it's gotta make the QA deadline later and we hafta test that after and prod deployment's next week already."

Juvia was sure that she didn't get most of that, but Mira nodded as if in full understanding. "Sure thing." the woman said, even reaching out to pour a glass of orange juice for the guy. Bixlow accepted it warily. "How about Laxus?"

He yawned again. "I dunno, he'll prolly sleep in. He OT'd… like, extra five hours last night, dude. But don't worry 'bout him. Freed slept over so they'll cook if they need to. Maybe. Or order pizza. why d'they always order pizza when I'm not here, Mira?"

"I'm sure it's all a coincidence, sweetheart."

"Huh." he thought about it as he turned to go back to his room.

"Okay, then. Good luck with your… code thingy." Mira said as the guy clumsily saluted to them all. "Catch a bit of sleep if you can."

"Roger, ma'am..." was the weak reply as Bixlow trudged back upstairs.

He was then followed by a completely opposite scene:

"Good morning, world!" - was the joyful greeting that came from the pink-haired ball of energy who sat in the chair across Juvia's.

Juvia blinked when the guy looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Then he asked, "Levy, you have a sister?"

"Nope, she's our guest." Levy answered absently. She was now reading the newspaper that Warren left with her. "Gray's guest."

"Gray, you have a girlfriend?"

Gray frowned. "That's unfair, I can't have a sister too?"

"Duh, she's too pretty to be your sister." the guy stuck his tongue out childishly, and Juvia looked down shyly.

Gray glared. "Drop dead."

The other guy grinned. "Can't do that."

"What part of guest don't you understand?" Gray deadpanned. "She got lost yesterday and stuck in the rain last night, we're all helping her."

"Ah, yeah. Laki was talkin' 'bout somethin' like that just a while ago." The new arrival nodded in consideration, then turned towards Juvia. "We're all helping you, dude - don't worry. I'm Natsu, by the way!"

"Juvia. Nice to meet you, Natsu-san." Juvia smiled.

Then his eyes fell on the strip of bacon in her plate. "Are you eating that or not?"

Juvia jumped when someone hit the back of Natsu's head. "Get your own bacon!"

"Ow! But Lucy!" Natsu whined as he and Juvia looked up to see the newcomer. "She's not eating it! Bacon is… _bacon_!"

Juvia's mouth fell open as she watched the blonde woman sit on the empty chair between Natsu and Cana. "Please don't mind him. I heard from Laki. Really sorry 'bout what happened to you. This city can get all sorts of nasty specially if you're new."

Lucy extended a hand and smiled. "I'm Lucy, by the way."

Cana giggled, watching their guest open her mouth to say something but failing to do so. She nudged Gray. "Aw, look at her face."

"J-J-Juvia." the blue-haired woman barely got that out. She glanced at Cana and Gray's smug expressions before looking back at Lucy. "Are you… are you really…?"

Lucy blinked. Cana answered for her. "Yes, she is."

"Lucy Heartfilia-sama!" Juvia exclaimed. Much like Cana, despite the hastily-tied ponytail and the very casual attire, Juvia would recognize the familiar face and voice anywhere.

Lucy laughed. "Oh, you know me already!" Beside her, Natsu sniggered as he ate his breakfast.

"Of course Juvia does! Juvia has watched… err… some videos. Juvia can't really afford the tickets, but… Juvia is a fan! Lucy-sama and Cana-sama are great performers!"

Lucy and Cana exchanged a look before they smiled back at her.

Juvia REALLY must be dreaming. There was no way she was eating breakfast with not one but TWO famed musical theatre actresses.

She looked around at her companions. "Does… Does Lucy-sama live here too?"

"Sometimes." the blonde shrugged, also starting her meal. "I have a lot of good friends here. And Natsu."

Natsu then spoke up, face completely serious. "Okay, I don't always get to say this. I mean, I don't always brag but..." Juvia looked at him, and then he broke into the same happy grin she saw in his face earlier - "My girlfriend is Lucy Heartfilia!"

He held a hand up and Levy high-fived him without looking up from her newspaper. It was pretty impressive.

Meanwhile, Juvia looked simply amazed.

"Dork." Lucy chuckled, shaking her head. She looked at Juvia with a more resigned expression. "That's classified information, by the way. Don't leak it, alright?" - then she topped that off with a wink.

Juvia nodded obediently. "Juvia would never."

"You really like them, don't you?" Gray asked, amused.

Juvia nodded again, this time looking down. She peeked through her bangs and saw Cana talking to Mira across the table, while Lucy and Natsu were fighting over the last piece of hotdog on Lucy's plate. "Juvia can't believe it. Juvia is eating breakfast with Lucy Heartfilia and Cana Alberona."

"Hey, they might be big-shots but they're human too. They gotta live and eat somewhere." he mused. He was finished with his breakfast now, just taking his time sitting in the table with his friends. "Just… maybe you expected them to be in a better place that this old hole."

"Juvia has been meaning to ask…" she started. "Is this place an apartment or dorm of some sort?"

Gray considered that, and for a bit, he looked at their companions before answering, "Well… short answer: it's a house."

Juvia nodded, knowing that there was a continuation to that.

"Long answer: it's just happens to be… a really big house. We call it The Guild, actually. Who came up with that name again?" - he stopped to ask no one in particular.

It was Levy who answered, "It was Max." Juvia wondered about the other woman's impressive attention span. She seemed to hear and see everything.

"Of course it was." Gray snorted. "There. This used to be an old abandoned building… an office or somethin' like that, I think. T'was owned by Gramps. Err. Makarov Dreyar - he's a really nice old man. At first he let us use this as practice grounds, but eventually we all just… sorta fixed the whole thing and moved in. We're not all related, but most of us have no family or are from different places. Technically Laxus owns the building now, but we all contribute to everything so… yeah. This is a house, I guess. Just a really big one."

Mira chose to add her own two cents: "There are still some empty rooms and lots of broken pipes and ceilings, but we make do. Everyone pays rent, but it's not business. We're like a family here already, anyway."

"That's nice..." Juvia considered. "Having a big family. Gray-sama said this was practice grounds. Practice for what?"

Natsu answered that part. "Dance, duh!"

Juvia blinked in surprise. "D-Dance?"

"We're all dancers here." Levy smiled. "Most of us, anyway."

"What do you dance?" Juvia asked, this time turning to Gray. Juvia could hardly believe her luck. First: stumbling upon Gray who was nice enough to help her out, second: meeting a whole bunch of people who gave her food and promised to help her, third: meeting Cana Alberona and Lucy Heartfilia in the flesh, up close and personal! And now - she's among dancers! She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from blurting out her thoughts.

"All sorts." Gray shrugged. "Most of us do hip-hop. Levy, Jet and Droy do tap. Laki and Lisanna study jazz and contemporary. Warren's an animator. Mira's a ballroom expert." - at this, Mira shook her head and waved him off bashfully - "And Erza's good at everything. She's not home right now, but you'll like her."

"You're a dance troupe?"

"Something like that." Levy answered, chuckling nervously. "Not a professional one, we've never really gotten any offers… we've all got jobs, but we're hoping to get a gig up sometime."

"But what about that big dance contest? There's still that, right?" Lucy piped up.

Levy nodded. "Well, dates are TBD. Max is keeping an eye on it, though."

After that, they all launched in an animated conversation about some upcoming dance contest and the plans for it. Cana and Lucy were complaining that they want to dance with everyone while Mira apologized and said that the mechanics stated a 'no professionals or celebrities' rule. Natsu, Elfman and Levy all had things to say about it too.

Gray, Juvia was beginning to learn, was actually one of the quieter ones of the group. He preferred to watch them, but never hesitated to speak up when prompted.

So taking this opportunity without anyone's attention on her, Juvia leaned a bit and asked the man beside her softly, "Uh… umm… Gray-sama…?"

Gray looked back at her.

Juvia didn't know what happened, but her mind suddenly went blank. What was she supposed to ask again? She totally forgot. She froze - because he was expecting something of her and waiting patiently and she has nothing to say?

Doing a quickly look around, she then said that first thing that came to mind: "Can Gray-sama help Juvia… ask for autographs?"

At that, Gray laughed, and to Juvia's horror he directly addressed two of their companions. "Oi, Cana, Lucy - Juvia wants to ask for your autograph."

Both women looked towards them, looking genuinely touched. Lucy even brought a hand to her chest. "Oh gosh, I'd be happy to!"

"You like us that much?" Cana asked.

Juvia nodded shyly. "Juvia watched your audition video…"

"Which one?"

"The one for Glitter. You auditioned together and performed _'Hot Honey Rag'_ and _'Nowadays'_ from Chicago and everyone was blown away, because your dancing was on point. When the casting staff questioned your vocals because the song didn't have much variety on the singing parts, you went ahead and sang _'Take Me Or Leave Me'_ and… and it was perfect! Juvia also watched your TV guestings from when you got the parts and played the leads. And some performance clips on the internet..."

She couldn't tell them enough how much she adored them. 'Glitter' was the first big musical in years to have two female leads and it surprised the whole industry when two completely new faces owned the roles. From there, both of their careers just instantly took off.

"Shucks." Lucy laughed nervously. "That audition really blew up, huh?"

"'Cause it was awesome." Elfman chimed in.

Beside him, Levy put her newspaper down, a sign that she was joining in their conversation. "That one put you in the map, Lu-chan."

Natsu also gave a thumbs up, unable to say anything because he was busy gobbling up food.

Juvia simply looked down. "S-Sorry if Juvia is being nosy..."

"Aw, don't look so down!" Cana spoke, a confident grin on her face. "So you arrived in the big city and all sorts of bad things happened to you - what do you say we cheer you up a bit? D'you wanna see that audition live?"

Juvia gaped. Beside Cana, Lucy also looked surprised, while Natsu was already cheering and Gray just sighed and exchanged looks with the rest of their companions: Mira, Elfman and Levy. They were smiling conspiratory smiles.

"U-Uh… Sorry?"

"Would you like it if we performed for you?" Cana asked again, reaching over the back of her head to take off her scrunchie and let her hair down.

"Y-Yes, but Juvia can't just ask-"

"Of course you can." Cana said, running a hand through long brown curls. "Right, Lucy?"

Lucy seemed to look down at her plate in mourning before she just shrugged and asked, "What are we doing? I can't remember all the steps to Hot Honey Rag anymore."

"Something we both know by heart…" the brunette considered. Juvia watched as the woman contemplated for a full five seconds. When Cana opened her mouth again, the strong, full sound of her singing voice was what came out:

 _" Come on, babe - why don't we paint the town?"_

Juvia stifled a gasp. Cana was pleased at the reaction - of course their guest would recognize a classic - and sent a wink towards Lucy.

 _"...and all that jazz? "_

Lucy chuckled before quickly picking up, her voice perfect:

 _" I'm gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down…"_, she snapped her fingers twice. _" and all that jazz!"_

Juvia watched as Cana made a quick gesture and Gray, Natsu, Elfman, Mira and Levy all moved to take the plates and glasses from dining table.

As they did this, the two women sang together:

 _" Start the car, I know a whoopee spot, where the gin is cold but the piano's hot!  
It's just a noisy hall where there's a nightly brawl..."_

As if in perfect sync, the two raised both their hands, their fingers ready to snap.

 _" And all… that… jazz!"_

Juvia looked around to find Natsu whistling to the familiar tune of the instrumental break as Cana held out her hand to Gray, who took it and helped her step up into one of the chairs and then on top of the table.

Cana strided across the table, singing and projecting as if she was in a real stage.

 _" Slick your hair and wear your buckle shoes - and all that jazz!  
I hear that Father Dip is gonna blow the blues - and all that jazz!"_

Lucy followed her partner's lead, letting Levy and Mira help her up the table to stand beside Cana as she sang the next verse:

 _" Hold on, hon' - we're gonna bunny hug!_  
 _I bought some aspirin down at United Drug,_  
 _In case you shake apart and want a brand new start to do... that... jazz! "_

Juvia couldn't help but get goosebumps as she heard Lucy's high note.

This time both Natsu and Levy were whistling and snapping their fingers to the beat. Mira, and Gray watched in amusement and decided to join by clapping.

Cana started singing again:

 _" Find a flask, we're playing fast and loose - and all that jazz!"_

Lucy continued:

 _" Right up here is where I store the juice - and all that jazz!"_

Then both divas sang together:

 _" Come on, babe! We're gonna brush the sky!  
I betcha Lucky Lindy never flew so high,  
'Cause in the stratosphere how could he lend an ear - to all that jazz?"_

Cana then picked up the singing while Lucy danced, shaking her hips playfully. Juvia recognized some classic broadway steps from the two women dancing. They might as well be wearing flapper dresses, fishnet stockings and high heels - they carried the song so well even in their sleep wear.

 _" Oh, you're gonna see your sheba shimmy-shake! - and all that jazz!  
Oh, she's gonna shimmy 'till her garters break - and all that jazz!"_

This time it was Lucy who sang as Cana danced:

 _" Show her where to park her girdle! Oh, her mother's blood'd curdle -_  
 _If she'd hear her baby squeal - for all! That! Jazz! "_

Juvia was floored - how much confidence does it take for one to pull off those classy and sultry moves all in improv? She knew they were great performers, but seeing them like this - improvising and yet still owning it… It was another thing entirely.

After that, the snapping and clapping became faster. Cana sang as main vocals while Lucy harmonized with her.

 _" Come on, babe - why don't we paint the town? And all that jazz!"_

They exchanged roles, Lucy taking lead this time:

 _" I'm gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down - and all that jazz!"_

They sang the penultimate verse together, voices in perfect harmony:

 _" Start the car, I know a whoopee spot, where the gin is cold but the piano's hot!_  
 _It's just a noisy hall where there's a nightly brawl-_  
 _And all... that... "_

It was amazing and said things about how versatile their voices were when from a strong verse, they were able to reduce the last line into a whisper, before again shifting their dynamics and singing the finale:

 _" No, I'm no one's wife but, ohhh, I love my life!_  
 _And all! That! Jazz! "_

When they finished, Juvia clapped her hands along with everyone else who cheered for the two. Cana and Lucy bowed but as soon as they were finished, Cana scratched her head mumbling about _'overdoing it a bit'_ and Lucy just crouched down and covered her face saying she might have gotten _'too carried away oh my god Natsu help me get down from here!'_

Juvia was totally convinced that she was dreaming. Yep. There was no way that just happened for real.

But on the off-chance that it's all real - then this should more than make up to all the misfortune from the previous day.

.

.

end of ch. 2

.

* * *

 **A/N:** How was it? Is it... is it okay? I'm with Juvia tho. SHE A LUCKY GAL.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- I made Lucy/Cana both broadway divas. It just fit them best. Guys, they're perfect? Like, they'll nail the roles? Roxie and Velma (Chicago)? Glinda and Elphaba (Wicked)? Cosette and Eponine (Les Mis)? IMAGINE? But anyways, this time I put them on Chicago. The song they performed here is a stripped-down acapella version of "All That Jazz" - you can find countless renditions of it anywhere, including a Glee cover.  
\- If you want to see what their audition vid probably looks like, the easiest vid to find is "Hot Honey Rag/Nowadays" from the Chicago 2002 movie. Watch it and imagine Lucy and Cana in it - trust me you won't regret it.  
\- As for their follow-up song, you can find "Take Me or Leave Me" from the RENT musical/movie.  
\- Everyone's dancing stuff to come in the following chapters.

 **Next Chapter:** "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"  
Juvia finds her footing. Also hi Gajeel!


	3. Over the Rainbow

**A/N:** I forgot I was supposed to post this. HEHE. SORRY. I'm not used to updating often anymore. :D

But here it is! And we finally get to meet Gajeel!

Note before you read: There are countless versions of the chapter song, but for this one, I used Ingrid Michaelson's cover. Just in case you guys wanna look it up.

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 03:  
** " **Somewhere Over the Rainbow**..."  
 _(Way up high, t_ _ _here's a land  
that I've heard of once in a lullaby.__ _)  
_ _\- The Wizard of Oz_ ** _  
_**

.

.

The events of that particular morning were, for lack of better words, surreal. But a few hours later, after a warm bath and with her clothes and things dried, Juvia had a much better grip on things and of reality in general.

Gray had left Juvia in Levy's care. Juvia would be lying if she were to say that she didn't want to spend more time with Gray, the one who made this all possible, but she was not about to complain because she was just thankful of everyone in the Guild. Most of the housemates left right after breakfast, but they all checked up on Juvia in their own little ways.

Mira gave Juvia her number, saying that if ever Juvia got in trouble, she could call. Lucy and Cana wished her the best before they left for rehearsals on whatever their latest show was. As far as Juvia was concerned, their impromptu performance earlier to cheer her up was something she will never forget. Even Bixlow, when he went back downstairs again (more awake this time), took a few minutes to examine Juvia's soaked phone for her, said that it was gone for good, but told her where to take it so they can salvage her contacts, files and other stuff. Gray left for work early (Juvia had no time to ask what his job was), but made sure she was taken care of. He also made Natsu promise to accompany Levy and Juvia that afternoon.

And so there she was, arm-in-arm with Levy as they walked through the crowded streets of the city with Natsu. It was a good thing that Juvia had written the address down in her planner. She was bad with addresses. She would have forgotten otherwise.

"So this friend of yours, he owns the record store?" Levy asked.

Juvia shook her head. "Gajeel-kun just works there. The plan was for Juvia to stay with him in his apartment, but he said Juvia shouldn't go straight to his apartment the first time because it's… in the… more complicated part of the city. So we're meeting in the record store."

"More complicated, you mean 'downtown' _downtown_ , right?" Natsu smirked. "We know 'bout it. Some of us lived there one time or another. Right, Levy?"

Levy confirmed that with a nod. "We're lucky the Guild's in the safer part of downtown, really. Are you sure you'll be okay at your friend's place, though? No offense, I'm sure he's a nice guy, but… we know a lot of people with bad experiences in that part of town. And you're new, so it's a bit worrying…"

"Yeah, I mean - if you wanna move a bit uptown, Max knows a lotta apartment brokers, decent ones." Natsu added.

Juvia smiled, appreciating the sentiment. "Thanks, but Juvia will be okay. Gajeel-kun will take care of Juvia. He always has."

"You seem pretty close." Levy remarked. She thought about what Juvia's friend would be like. Probably all gentle and sweetness too. In the short time that she had known Juvia, their guest has been nothing short of appreciative about every little thing. Or maybe it would be someone more serious and protective, with the way Juvia was so assured that she could count on this person… Someone a bit like… like Freed, maybe?

"Gajeel-kun is Juvia's best friend. We grew up in the same foster home."

"Oh." Levy blinked, then looked at Natsu. "Well, that's quite a coincidence, is it?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Natsu chuckled. Then for Juvia's benefit, he said, "We were all kids from the system too. Well, Mira, Elf and Lisanna aren't, and Laxus and Bix still have family, but… Levy and me, Gray and most of the others… yeah."

"R-Really?"

"Yup." Natsu continued. "Gramps - y'know, Laxus' grandpa - was our caseworker. He helped us all out even after we were out of the system. Introduced us to each other and all that. Even landed some of us jobs."

Juvia nodded. "Mr. Dreyar sounds like a kind man."

"He's kind of our dad." Levy smiled down fondly. "He's in retirement now, in his hometown, Magnolia."

"Juvia has been meaning to ask… what is Levy-san's job?"

"Err, besides taking to the streets to perform sometimes?" Levy laughed shyly. "I do home-based work, mostly. Writing and editorial jobs online."

"How about Natsu-san?" - because it was the middle of the day on a weekday and it made Juvia wonder what Natsu did.

"I'm a waiter, dishwasher, server person." Natsu shrugged. "In those big occasions, yeah? Event catering service stuff."

"How about Gray-sama? It was 3 in the morning when he went home last night, but he also left early again for work..."

"Same as me. There were two events last night, mine just finished earlier. That happens sometimes. But he's got another job, in this bar thing near the beach. Serving drinks. That's where he's at right now."

"Hey, we're here!" Levy piped up as they took a turn. Juvia stopped momentarily as the three of them scanned the street for the record store.

Juvia saw it the same time Natsu read the shop's signage: " _For the Record_. Your one-stop shop for records. Um, duh. No offense, but… who thought that was a good idea?"

"Juvia is sure that Gajeel-kun was not involved. He would have named it _Big Badass Metal Record Store_. Or something."

"Well, it's witty - let's give it that." Levy said, obviously trying to see the bright side as always.

The three of them moved to cross the street, Natsu leading the way. He opened the door for both ladies, and then followed them inside.

The first thing Levy noticed was that the store was empty. The only person she saw was the tall, dark, scary, piercing-riddled man behind the counter.

She stopped in terror when he looked right back at her. Laxus was one thing in the way of big intimidating men, but this one was frowning quite deeply and was… glaring?

But then Juvia exclaimed a joyful, "Gajeel-kun!"

And the man cursed, "Fuckin' hell." and-… What in the-… did he just jump over the counter? Levy gaped as he landed on two feet and let Juvia crash against him. Juvia hugged him tightly, her face buried on his black shirt.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" he sounded angry, but his hands held on to Juvia's shoulders protectively, even shaking slightly.

Juvia pulled away and looked up at him, beaming. "Juvia found you!"

"About damned time, you told me you were comin' yesterday but you didn't show up and I tried callin' you a shit ton of times but you weren't picking up! I called back home and they said you already left, what the fuck was I supposed to think?!"

"Juvia got lost and the luggage got stolen-"

"WHAT?!"

"-and it rained and Juvia's phone is broken-"

"Shit, I told you I shoulda picked you up at the station, but you insisted that 'noooo, Gajeel-kun you shouldn't bother!' Now look what happened!"

"It's okay, Juvia went downtown-"

"You coulda been killed!"

"-and Juvia met a lot of good people who helped!"

"But you coulda died in the rain and I wouldn't have known 'bout it!"

"Gajeel-kun should stop thinking like that, what's important is that Juvia is okay! Seriously, why is Gajeel-kun angrier than Juvia? Gajeel-kun should be nicer! Juvia is sorry she screwed up but there's nothing we can do about that so please stop shouting at Juvia because after everything that happened Juvia just wants to cry right now!"

It was amazing, how quick his expression changed from angry to desperately pleading - "Aw, shit - don't cry. You'll flood the shop."

Juvia sniffed, but held her ground. "Juvia will not cry because Juvia doesn't have money to pay for flood damages."

"Good." Gajeel sighed in relief. "Look, I'm sorry. It's good that you're alright."

"Juvia knows that." she smiled. "Juvia is glad to finally find Gajeel-kun."

Levy and Natsu, who watched the whole thing happen, were both deeply regretting that they didn't get it on camera.

"Did you see what I saw?" Levy whispered to her companion. "Did that really just happen?"

"Hell yeah." Natsu answered, also in a whisper. "That's the best thing I've seen since we saw Mira kick Laxus' sorry ass last week."

"Same."

They snapped back to attention when they realized that Juvia had begun introducing them to 'Gajeel-kun'.

"Gajeel-kun, this is Levy-san and Natsu-san! They helped me get here. Gray-sama was the one who found me last night, but he has work now. They let me sleep over and gave me food and leant me their dryer."

To their surprise, Gajeel didn't question his friend's words and simply bowed solemnly at them. "Thank you for taking care of Juvia. We're the only family we both have and if we can repay you in any way-"

Levy and Natsu simply exchanged a quick look before Levy raised both hands and smiled reassuringly. "It's okay! Really! We still remember when we first moved in here, it really was hard settling in - we know what Juvia-chan's been through. It's enough that we know she's safe with family now."

"Yeah, and… y'know… we were foster system kids too. We gotta help each other out, right?" Natsu scratched his head awkwardly.

Gajeel nodded. "Thanks. Again."

"Maybe Juvia can… uh… do something for Levy-san and Natsu-san? Um, are you hungry or anything...?"

"Oh, no, it's all fine, really." Levy smiled. "Besides, I have to go back home now. A bit of writing to finish."

"Yeah, and I gotta get to work in a few hours too." Natsu nodded. "But you know you can visit the guild anytime, right? Can't guarantee that everyone will be there, but it's never empty. You'll always find someone home."

Juvia nodded in understanding. She didn't want to burden them anymore. So she simply stepped forward and pulled both Natsu and Levy into a loose hug.

"Thank you, Natsu-san, Levy-san! Please extend my thanks to everyone in the guild… specially Gray-sama… Juvia doesn't know what would have happened if he didn't find Juvia. As soon as Juvia has settled, we will pay a visit!"

Levy smiled and hugged the woman back. Natsu blinked, taken aback at first, then relaxed and smiled as well as he pat Juvia's shoulder.

As they said their goodbyes, Levy sent the other woman another smile and said, "We better see you around, alright?"

"Come visit soon!" Natsu followed up.

Juvia only waved happily as she watched them disappear down the street.

Gajeel, who stood beside her, laid a hand on top of her head and said, "You know how you always say you bring bad luck? That's bull. You've got a hella lot of luck in you."

Juvia shrugged, contemplating. "Yes, Juvia did get lucky this time."

The man only scoffed and went back inside the shop. "Alright, now we gotta get your life back in order."

* * *

Gajeel always called his apartment a hole in the wall. It was a small studio-type unit, one room that acted as living room, bedroom and kitchen in one, with a small bathroom on the side. It was right for one person, just enough for two, and simply pushing it for three. Gajeel's dining table was a foldable one, for two people. His bed was a mattress on the floor. It would be Juvia's until they bought another one.

As he prepared the takeout food they bought for dinner, Juvia sat down on the mattress and went through her bag.

After Gajeel's job in the record store, they went to the police station to report about Juvia's stolen luggage. As expected, they were told not to get their hopes up too much. Juvia accepted this with quiet sorrow - her money and savings, important documents, her clothes and shoes were in that luggage. She didn't have all that much so losing those felt like losing almost everything.

She still had some emergency money, her ID's, planner, some notebooks, mp3 player and earphones. There was a bag of some of her lighter clothes that Gajeel had already brought with him a month before she left their hometown. She held on to that - not all was lost. Plus now she was with family. She could make it through this.

As she went through her bag of clothes, she clicked her tongue. "These are all summer clothes."

"There are lots of thrift shops in the neighborhood." Gajeel said. "And who knows, the fucker who stole your stuff must've sold some of your clothes."

Juvia sighed and nodded. Maybe she would just buy her clothes back if that was the case. She would pay for it but that would still be cheaper than buying a brand new set.

And there was the other concern - the money.

"Juvia will look for a job tomorrow." she said. "Does Gajeel-kun know any-"

"You don't have to do that." he cut her off before she could finish. "If it's rent, I've got it covered. And the food… well, we'll manage. You should focus on what you really came here for."

"Juvia can't just let Gajeel-kun pay for everything!"

"Look, if you get a job, you won't have time to practice for your audition." he said. "You don't want that. Nail that one, you're set. Don't sweat the small stuff before it-"

"But Juvia should-"

"You're a dancer." - and his voice was more firm this time. "That's what you should be doin'. That's what you left home for, remember? So you wouldn't be stuck with some job you don't even give a shit about."

She sighed. That was the plan. She applied for a slot in the auditions for a prestigious dance company. One of the best. An untrained and self-taught small town girl like her getting that slot? It was more than she ever hoped for. Gajeel was with her on this, he's got her back like always. The company was in Crocus, the same big city where he worked at. They decided that Juvia would stay with him and prep for the auditions. They'll split the rent, bills and expenses - Juvia had her savings and Gajeel had his job. If Juvia gets accepted, she can start a dancing career and get paid for performances with the troupe.

"Juvia isn't even sure about the audition..."

"Seriously." this time Gajeel rolled his eyes. "You should stop with all the negativity. You won't get anywhere always thinkin' you ain't good enough."

Juvia looked down. Gajeel had always believed in her. She was lucky to have him. But still, she knew she couldn't count on an unsure audition too much.

"Juvia will look for work." she said, this time sure. "Part-time. So there's still plenty of time to practice. Juvia needs to buy dance clothes, anyway. Juvia doesn't have enough cash for that right now."

Gajeel accepted that answer. "Fine. Whatever. Just make sure you know what you're doin'."

She nodded as she looked up at him. He knew that look on her face. It was her 'Trust me.' look. So he did just that.

"Just get over here and eat. After this, I'm gonna take you up to the rooftop. Plenty of dancing space up there."

Juvia smiled and finally stood up to join him in the table, eating the takeout food.

As they sat down, Juvia talked about her short stay at the Guild again. She had already told Gajeel everything about it while they waited for his shift in the store to finish. She told him about the big abandoned-looking building which turned out to be a pretty homey place after all, about the kind Gray-sama who let her in, the lively morning with all the different but very fun and caring people, and that unbelievable encounter with Lucy and Cana. At first he didn't believe her when she said she met them and they performed an impromptu number for her, but he shut up when she showed him the two signatures on her notebook.

"Juvia should go back with… something, right? To thank Gray-sama. And everyone else." she mused absently.

Gajeel snorted. "Dude, you've got a really big crush on this Gray-sama of yours, huh?"

She looked up at him, cheeks flaring red. "W-W-What is Gajeel-kun talking about?"

"Everything ends up being 'bout him. Plus, you're blushing."

"J-Juvia doesn't know what Gajeel-kun is talking about-"

This time Gajeel tried hard not to laugh. "Are you tryin' to hide your crush? From ME? I know all the signs of you liking someone. It's useless."

"And what signs are those?!"

"When I confront you 'bout it, you get defensive, then you deny-"

"Because that's not what's happening!"

"Then you deny some more by justifying-"

"Juvia is just thankful because if Gray-sama hadn't let her in, who knows what could have happened to Juvia-"

"-and then I push it, and then you defend the guy-"

"-besides, Gray-sama is really kind and-… a-a-and handsome and he's also a dancer, and Juvia hasn't seen him dance but Juvia's sure he must be good at it! Also, he was very thoughtful, making sure Juvia was taken care of before he went off to work-… Oh."

"See?"

"Gajeel-kun is unfair!"

He sniggered. "Whatever. Gajeel-kun won."

"Gajeel-kun is mean."

He just shrugged, very satisfied with himself. "Y'know, pro-tip: when you're on a debate, maybe don't prove your opponent's point?"

"So what if Juvia has a crush?! It's none of Gajeel-kun's business." she pouted, poking at her food and blushing.

"Nah, I don't care. Really. Just don't let him distract you or we're gonna have a serious talk because I'm not lettin' you bail out just 'cause you fell in love or something."

"That's noted." she huffed. "Gajeel-kun shouldn't worry. Juvia's priorities are straight."

"I know." he smirked. "Just make sure it stays that way."

"Gajeel-kun is being a mom friend again."

He coughed. "Sh-Shut up. Just finish your dinner."

"See?" This time she was the one who smirked, "Pro-tip: maybe don't prove your opponent's point?"

Gajeel simply groaned - he should've known better than underestimate his friend. "Fine. Gajeel: 1, Juvia: 1. We're callin' it a tie for tonight."

* * *

As promised, they both headed to the apartment rooftop after dinner. Juvia changed into the most practical dancing attire she found among what was left of her clothes: a short loose-fitting light blue sundress and black leggings. She brought her mp3 player while Gajeel had a mini portable speaker.

Half of the rooftop was occupied by clotheslines, while the other was a vacant area. It wasn't very big, but it was certainly a more convenient practice area compared to Gajeel's unit.

Juvia stood still for a while as she looked up at the night sky and let the cool breeze tickle her face. She could still hear the city's noise even from this high up - but it wasn't as instrusive or disruptive as when she first arrived. It was more comforting now… probably because she knew she was in a safer place.

Finally, she looked down and scrolled through her mp3 player, finding the right song before handing the gadget to her friend. Gajeel, who stood to the side, accepted it and raised an eyebrow. "Why this song?"

"It's only for practice." she said, walking away to get a good distance, making space for her dance.

"So this ain't the audition piece yet?" he asked as he plugged the player to the speaker and turned the volume up.

"Not yet. Juvia wants to go through more options."

Gajeel just nodded as he looked at his friend. She was now standing several paces away from him, stretching, warming up. "You ready?"

Juvia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before nodding.

He pressed play, the music started and the soft strumming of strings was heard.

 _((Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high...))_

Juvia's style has always been very lyrical. As the song started, her movements were soft, simple. There were no grand leaps or spins - but she moved her arms and legs with a quiet and graceful expressiveness. It looked dynamic, even when she stayed in place.

 _((There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.))_

This version wasn't his favorite, but he knew why Juvia picked it. It was a good fit for her - just a woman's clear, strong voice against soft strumming. It was a very simple arrangement, befitting Juvia's style.

Then she started utilizing the 'stage'.

 _((Somewhere over the rainbow, the bluebirds fly so high  
Birds fly over the rainbow - Why, then, oh why can't I?))_

Gajeel always thought that Juvia moved so fluidly - she could go from a set of graceful pirouettes to a high jump to more grounded movements as if it took no effort at all. He knew that making transitions look effortless should be a standard for any dancer, but when Juvia did it, it was like watching ink in water. Maybe she didn't watch herself closely enough when she danced, because she still doesn't realize that she was great at what she did.

 _((Someday I'll wish upon a star_  
 _and wake up where the clouds are far behind me...))_

This time she made a great leap, only to land on her knees - an illusion of falling - and then she got back up just as quickly and continued dancing, not one move looking abrupt.

 _((Where troubles melt like lemon drops_  
 _Away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me...))_

And then she suddenly stopped, even when the music was still playing. Gajeel was surprised at how quickly the woman had run to tuck herself beside him as if she was hiding. It took him another second to realize that she did this because the rooftop door had opened.

They watched as a middle-aged woman carrying a laundry basket had arrived. Gajeel nodded at her and she nodded back in acknowledgement as she passed by on her way to the clotheslines to collect her laundry.

"You gotta fix that." he told his companion then. Juvia looked down, fidgeting with her hands. "Nevermind worryin' about your audition piece. What you really gotta do is practice not runnin' away when someone that's not me is watchin' you dance."

Because that was the bigger problem, they knew. Juvia had never let anyone else see her dance. It was just her best friend. It took them God-knows-how-long to even record the video that Juvia sent for her application.

Juvia knew this all too well. She could come up with a full routine on the spot and still freeze up when unfamiliar eyes were on her.

"Juvia will try." she mumbled, sighing.

Gajeel knew that she would. This meant a lot to her. So again, he laid a hand on her head and just smirked. "You better."

The music had stopped now, and they just looked up at the sky. There were no stars in the city, he always told her. Tonight there were a few.

After a few more minutes of silence, they finally decided to go back and call it a day.

.

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end of ch. 3

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* * *

 **A/N:** It's kinda funny - because in WAY, Gajeel's the one freeloading on Juvia. Now's his turn to be the sensible one.

Fun fact - Half of this chapter and half of next chapter TOTALLY DISAPPEARED AFTER I WROTE IT. OvO  
My laptop crashed for some reason and corrupted the file and boom goodbye 4,000 words. So yep I had to rewrite everything in one night. No tears, just rage. Hehee.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- Juvia's dance style is Contemporary, the very lyrical kind.  
The closest match I can find to how I imagined Juvia's movements is dancer _Caitlin Kinney_ (from _So You_ _Think You Can Dance)_. You guys should watch her solos! **  
**

 **Next Chapter:** "The Guild"  
Non-musical chapter, but look it's a tour of the guild!


	4. The Guild

**A/N:** Yey, fourth chapter!

Not much to say about this one. It's basically an interlude, guild breakfast shenanigans (again, but more fun this time!) and Levy takes you to a little tour of the guild. Like Gray said, it's a big house. It deserves a tour.

Enjoy!

* * *

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 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 04:  
** " **The Guild** "  
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Mornings in the Guild were, as always, eventful and very noisy. Gray was used to this noise, really. That morning, however, as he made his way downstairs to grab some breakfast before heading off to work, he heard his name in a conversation between two very familiar voices.

"...Gray, really? OUR Gray?" - that was Lisanna.

"Yup, the bastard. And y'know, the girl's hella cute too." - and that one was, without a doubt, Natsu.

"You think he likes her?"

"Not sure, but I think she liked 'im. Keeps blushin' and asked a lotta questions when we were walkin' her home yesterday."

"Awww! I wish I could've met her!"

Gray was not awake enough to deal with their teasing. He needed some breakfast first. So as soon as he knew he was within earshot, he declared - "For the last time, I just helped a girl out because she needed it. Not 'cause I've got plans to date her."

"Good morning, Gray!" Lisanna greeted him cheerfully and innocently, as if they weren't just gossipping about him. She held her cat, Happy, in her arms.

Beside her, Natsu was smiling smugly. "Hey, I'm just tellin' it like it is. Also, I gave her your number." - someone made a coughing sound - "I mean, Levy gave her your number."

Gray looked towards Levy, and she just smiled cheerfully at him. "Hey, she was really fond of you!"

There were several sounds of agreement from the others.

"Nice one, Levy." - Warren.

"That's our girl." - Droy.

"Good job." - Max.

"Don't be so hard on her, Gray." - Laki.

"Are you guys trying to set me up?" Gray asked, glaring at his housemates. When no one answered, he looked unimpressed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Because the last time you tried to set me up with someone, she ended up with Natsu."

"You said Lucy was cute!" Lisanna pouted. "Everyone heard it. Including Lucy!"

"And how did that turn out?" Gray huffed as he sat with them.

"Meh." Natsu shrugged. "How was I s'posed to know she's gonna end up likin' me while I was tryin' to get her to like you?"

"Yeah, that one kinda didn't go as planned." Lisanna mused. "It just… went elsewhere."

"Look at the bright side." Levy piped up. "At least you made two of your friends happy!"

"After like a hundred mixed signals from BOTH of them, yeah. Maybe." Gray deadpanned. God, just thinking back about it gave him a headache. (He endured a month of awkwardness until finally cracking and just shouting at them to 'Please FOR MY PEACE OF MIND, just GET TOGETHER and YES it's okay I'm not in love with either of you anyway!')

But instead of sympathizing with him, Lisanna almost spit out her coffee as she tried not to laugh. "Oh my gosh, I remember that! When you thought Natsu was about to confess to YOU!"

Natsu didn't hold back, though - he just cackled. "I fucked up big time, but it was sooo worth it! You shoulda seen your face!"

"I SAW MY FACE, YOU GOT IT DOWN ON TAPE!" Gray snapped, then glared at Warren, who raised his hands with a 'I-was-just-following-orders!' expression on his face. "The point is, you guys should let this shit go. We don't even know if Juvia's ever gonna reach out again-"

"We told her she can come back anytime." Levy said.

"Uh-huh, and I told her where you work!" Natsu added. Gray swore he popped a vein watching the idiot share a high five with his partner-in-crime.

"Unbelievable." was all he mumbled as he finally sat down with them.

"But you do like the girl, right?" - that was from Evergreen. He didn't even notice that she was present. Well, to be fair, his housemates' girlfriends and boyfriends just popped up in the Guild at random times and nobody really noticed it anymore.

Except Jellal, because he always brought food with him so everyone always makes him feel extra special.

Gray just sighed and said, "I'm not gonna answer that. All I know is I saw that she needed help, so I offered help. I was just doin' the right thing."

There was a chorus of "Awwww!" from everyone.

"Now lay off me already." he said, starting his meal.

To their credit, they did lay off on him. Everyone went back to their own meals and conversations. It was peaceful.

For a full five minutes, maybe. Because then Erza sat on the empty chair beside him. "Hey, Gray. Mira told me about it-"

He groaned. "Goddammit, can't I get a moment of peace-"

"Calm down." Erza cut him off, looking amused. "I was just gonna say that it's such a shame - you could have used my room for the night. More comfy than the couch. I was at Jellal's that night anyway."

"Oh." he blinked. "Well, uhh… Yeah, maybe? But I was slammed from work. Didn't have the energy to ask around. Thanks, I guess."

Erza just shrugged and nodded. "...That's all for me, actually."

"Really?" - he really could always count on Erza to be the mature one.

"Yeah-… Ah!" a look of clarity passed by the red-head's face before she beamed at him proudly. "Good job, Gray! Are you planning on dating this girl? Everyone told me she's really nice..."

With that, Gray just brought his hands to his face and rubbed his temples. Yep. It was too early in the morning to deal with this.

* * *

Levy was used to watching everyone leave after breakfast. While she sometimes went out with Jet and Droy to perform on the streets for some extra money, her primary source of income was still her home-based writing jobs, so she often stayed at home while her housemates went off to work.

That morning, after breakfast, she went out to grab something at the nearest convenience store. As she made her way back home, she assumed that everyone would have already left. But as she arrived in the garage, she saw Mira just about to leave.

"Hey, Mira." Levy greeted. "Off to work? It's later than usual."

"Oh, hey." Mira greeted. "Well, my sessions start late today, so I thought I'd clean up a bit upstairs before leaving. Anyways, gotta go now! See you later!"

"Yeah, later!" Levy called out, making her way up the stairs.

But then she heard Mira call for her again. "Levy?"

The younger woman stopped in her steps and looked back. "Yes?"

"I found a sketchbook on the couch. I didn't have time, but I put it in the dining table. Will you take it upstairs, please? I know that Freed slept over, and I think he hasn't left yet."

"Sure thing. You sure it's Freed's?"

"I think so. Who else is there?"

"Oh. Yeah."

"That's all, really. Going now! Bye!"

Levy waved back and watched Mira left before she made her way back up.

The Guild was a six-floor building. It wasn't a very big building - just tall. It was old, too - so there were no elevators, just a set of staircases on the leftmost side of each floor. The ground floor had the garage and what served as the living quarters of the Strauss siblings: Mira, Elfman and Lisanna. The Strausses were family friends of the Dreyars. Mira, at 26, was the eldest of their household, along with Laxus. She had already been standing in as her younger siblings' parent since she was a teenager. Now, she was everyone's big sister and maternal figure. She basically looked out for everyone.

Elfman worked as a delivery guy for a courier company. Mira was a ballroom teacher and choreographer in a local dance studio. Together they could easily move out and maybe manage loans for a house and car, but all they earn they reserve for Lisanna's tuition fees - she was a student in the city's best performing arts school, honing her talent in lyrical jazz dance. They wanted their sister to have the formal training that Mira couldn't afford for herself.

The entirety of the second floor was their dedicated practice area. It was just a huge dance floor. Everyone pitched in to have two walls lined with a mirror. The other two walls were filled with colorful spray paint graffiti care of Bixlow and Gray. There were tons of old cassette players and broken speakers on one corner, Some props and supplies on another: a trampoline, several tap boards and some chairs among others.

When Levy got there, she was surprised to find Cana in the middle of the dance floor, stretching and warming up. She was wearing her tap shoes, and was tapping experimentally on an old tap board.

"Cana, coming up with a new routine?" she asked.

Cana turned to face her and shrugged. "Nah, it's my free day today. I figured I'd chill out doing some tap. Y'know, all I'm doin' lately is broadway and singing. Don't wanna get rusty."

Levy nodded, considering it. Cana's schedule, outside of the shows and concerts, was usually packed with rehearsals, guestings and other events. On her days off, she usually just hung around the Guild, went out with some friends, or spent the day with her dad.

The brunette rested her hands on her hips as she asked, "Wanna join me? Tap jam session?"

Levy smiled. She was in a trio with Jet and Droy, but she also knew that besides the three of them, Cana was the only other person in the guild who danced tap. It would be a nice change of pace. "Sure thing. I'll just finish up some stuff upstairs and get my shoes."

"Great." Cana nodded, turning back to her warm up. "Well, I'll be right here."

Levy continued her climb. The third floor was the other common area - it was just divided between the kitchen and the living room, with a small bathroom to the side. It was quite spacious, but considering the number of occupants of the house, it was just right.

It was also the tallest floor of the building - and it had a loft area that everyone just considered as floor 3.5. Levy climbed up the spiral staircase that led up to the loft. Floor 3.5 belonged to Levy, Jet and Droy - their areas separated neatly by portable dividers. Levy almost always had the loft to herself, anyway. Jet and Droy were retail workers for a department store in the city's biggest mall, six days a week.

Levy boot up her laptop and checked her emails quickly. There was no job to do today - perfect for just chilling out. So she put her hair up in a ponytail and grabbed her practice tap shoes before going back down again. She set her shoes down first to pick up the sketchbook that Mira left in the dining table, deciding to deliver it to Freed first before returning to Cana.

The fourth and fifth floors were the same: A hallway, three bedrooms on one side, and on the other, two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. Not all bedrooms were occupied - some were still empty - with broken windows, walls or pipings that they couldn't afford to fix. Anyway, the fine rooms were just enough for everyone.

The fourth floor had Cana's, Gray's, Laki's and Natsu's rooms.

Laki was, like Lisanna, a student of the performing arts school. She was on a scholarship, coming from a strong ballet background and now practicing contemporary.

Gray and Natsu both worked for a famous catering service company - so their schedules were erratic. Sometimes Levy could spend a whole day hanging out with them. At times, they left really early in the morning. There were also times when they come home just as everyone else were starting their day. When they first met Lucy, she always stayed over at Cana's room. Now she shared Natsu's.

Today the fourth floor was empty. Everyone was at work, so Levy went ahead to the next floor.

The fifth floor had Max's, Warren's, Alzack and Bisca's, and Erza's rooms.

Max worked a 9 to 5 desk job in an accounting firm. Warren's hours weren't as fixed, though - he worked in a call center with shifting schedules.

Meanwhile, Alzack and Bisca were Mira's teaching assistants. So usually they left and came home the same time as the woman. The couple didn't announce it, but everyone knew that they were saving up for the wedding.

Erza was also a dance instructor and occassional choreographer, but she often switched dance studios. Her gigs ranged from leading middle-aged ladies in zumba lessons, to coming up with choreography for dance competition contestants. She never settled with one style, but she was good at basically everything, so the switching didn't affect her performance.

The building's walls were thin and so the rooms were not soundproof. From the staircase, Levy heard the loud music coming from Erza's room. The red-head must be cooking up a routine. Not wanting to disturb her friend, Levy decided to continue her climb.

The sixth floor. Finally. Three-fourths of the floor was Laxus' domain. It was the only real sound-proof area in the building. He had a big activity area - a library of magazines, records and films, a big table for his DJ equipment, his laptop, PC and two extension monitors, another table where he and Bixlow tinkered with gadgets and electronics, a couch, and a coffee table. Then there was his bedroom and a storage room filled with everyone's old stuff. The remaining space in the floor was Bixlow's room and a bathroom.

Why was Laxus' activity area sound-proof? Well… because it was always loud. Case in point: as soon as Levy turned the knob and stepped inside, she was met with the sound of a hit Fall Out Boy song from the speakers on full-blast.

It took her a few more seconds to realize it was a remix. No, it was a mashup. With Imagine Dragons.

Levy was impressed.

Laxus was, as usual, sitting in front of his computer and frowning at the monitor. He was probably nitpicking his latest work again.

"It sounds great!" Levy perked up, voice loud so he could hear her above the music.

Laxus took a short glance at her, adjusted the volume control, and then swiveled his chair around to face her. "Hey."

"What's the mix for?" she asked.

The blonde shrugged. "Nah, was doing it for kicks. Turns out it sounds like shit though."

Levy frowned. "I think it sounds badass. No work today?"

"Took the day off. To make up for the whole week I've been doing overtime," he yawned. It was obvious that he hasn't adjusted his body clock yet.

"Great, more people in the house! How about Bixlow?"

"Still out cold. I think he's in the 2 to 10 PM shift today."

Laxus and Bixlow worked in the same big-shot IT outsourcing company, but from what Levy knew, Laxus was on a more managerial position while Bixlow was more of a coder/programmer. They both worked as part of a 24/7 support team so sometimes, like Natsu, Gray and Warren, they stayed up crazy hours too.

"What brings you here anyway?" Laxus asked this time. "Finally got bored downstairs? Gonna ask me to cook lunch?"

"Actually, I've got a tap jam session with Cana." she answered, then lifted the sketchbook. "I just brought this up here. Mira found it downstairs while cleaning. Is Freed around?"

"Yeah, one sec." he adjusted the volume again before calling out, "Oi, Freed! Levy's here, says she's got somethin' for you!"

Levy gaped. "Oh my God, please don't tell me you woke him up."

Laxus chuckled. "No, he's just in the bedroom. Turnin' my closet upside down, says his favorite shirt should be in there somewhere."

Levy sighed in relief as she walked over to sit on the couch. On the coffee table was a mess of art stuff: watercolors, paintbrushes, pens and pencils, and various papers with unfinished fashion sketches. Freed must have taken some of his work home.

He had a costume and fashion design job in various threatres in town. He had his own apartment but lately he had taken to staying at the Guild because it was nearer to the threatre district. This also meant he could spend more time with Laxus, so that worked as well. Their often conflicting schedules made it difficult enough to make time for each other.

Levy didn't spend much time in the sixth floor. It was usually Laxus, Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen's domain. They were a tight-knit bunch. Evergreen, who was also Elfman's girlfriend, often slept over at the Guild as well. Practically part of the family, she was the girls' go-to person for their make-up and cosmetics emergencies. Evergreen often worked with Freed in the threatre district. She was a make-up artist and hairstylist.

In speaking of Freed, the man just emerged from the bedroom, looking very disgruntled. "I swear I put it in your laundry basket, Laxus. Are you sure you didn't misplace it when you washed clothes?"

"I swear. But you should try Bixlow's closet next." Laxus said. Levy agreed with that. Bixlow sometimes still did his chores even while he was drained from work. One such incident resulted in one of Cana's dresses ending up in his closet. So the incident wasn't entirely unheard of.

Freed just rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll do that." Then he finally turned towards Levy with an accomodating smile. "Hey, Levy. What can I do for you?"

"Mira found this while cleaning up a while ago. She asked me to bring it up here for you." Levy said, handing the sketchbook to the man. When Freed raised an eyebrow at the item, she asked, "It's yours, isn't it?"

"Actually, no." Freed said, frowning a bit but taking the item anyway. "All my sketchbooks are bigger than this."

"Maybe it's Bixlow's." Laxus suggested, wheeling his swivel chair towards Freed to take a look at the contents of the sketchbook as his boyfriend flipped it open. He paused. "Okay, not Bix. It's Ever's, then."

"No, Ever's sketches don't look like this." Freed remarked. The sketchbook was filled with sketches of some scenery, lots of flowers and butterflies, and girls in dresses. He handed it back to Levy before absently resting his elbow on Laxus' shoulder. "You should ask the girls. Wait, have you checked for labels? A name or something?"

"Checking..." Levy mumbled, flipping through the book. "No name. But here in the inside of the front cover. It's just a letter. J."

Laxus did a quick survey of the names of his housemates. "Jet?"

Freed looked at the blonde with an amused smile before suggesting a more likely option. "Maybe Jellal? When was the last time he was here?"

"I think it's Juvia." Levy said, looking up at the two.

"As in the girl Gray took home few days ago?" Laxus asked. He had to listen to everyone gushing about it over dinner. "Do you even know where to find her?"

Freed nodded at that. "Mira told me the girl's phone was busted."

"Don't worry. I know where to look." Levy smiled, standing up. "Maybe I'll bring it to her later, after lunch."

She excused herself then. They told her to be careful going downtown, and she simply nodded. They were like her big brothers, never failing to look out for her and the others. As she left, she heard Laxus sigh as he agreed to help Freed look for the missing shirt again. She simply smiled to herself as she closed the door behind her, the last sounds of conversation disappearing behind the sound-proof walls.

Levy hugged the sketchbook to herself as she climbed back downstairs. Later, she'll go out - back to the record store. It would be nice to get some fresh air for once. She could check up on Juvia - how she was doing, if she was getting by fine… She could send everyone's regards.

But for now, Levy would leave the book in the dining table and pick up her tap shoes instead.

She might be a home-based freelance writer, but Levy was, at her core, a dancer. Far off as it may seem, she's looking forward to having a career. Cana was right - she couldn't afford to get rusty in her own art.

* * *

Lunch in the guild was eventful that day. For the first time in a while, Levy had a lot of company - Erza, Cana, Laxus, Freed and Bixlow.

There was a discussion about the upcoming big dance contest again. Everyone was determined to join, but it's mostly still rumors. Max said that it's very likely though - and Max is good at scoops like these, so they all stood by. They've joined many contests before, even bagged some wins, but never first place. They're mostly street dance contests. Their members don't have enough training for contemporary or tap, but everyone had a decent hip-hop background.

Levy hoped this time they'll bag the first place award. According to Max's sources, there was a possible contract at stake. That could get the whole group started on a professional track - something they've always wanted.

They've been running around trying to prove themselves for too long. They can't keep up on their day jobs forever, keeping their passion as a side hobby.

* * *

After lunch, Levy grabbed the sketchbook and headed downtown. The record store was easier to find this time. The shop's name still made her giggle a bit.

When she entered, the store was empty - again - but this time she only found a bored young teenager by the counter, busy tapping away at his phone.

"Um, hello."

"Yeah, hey. 'Sup?" - was the bored reply.

Levy frowned for a beat because the teenager was obviously not doing his job properly, but she mustered up a polite smile anyway. "Is… Gajeel-san… around?"

It was a bit awkward to say, but what other name could she call him? She didn't know his last name. Just 'Gajeel' seemed impolite, while 'Gajeel-kun' sounded too familiar (and she got the feeling it was reserved for Juvia), so 'Gajeel-san' it is.

The teen just shrugged at her and jabbed a finger towards what Levy recognized must be the… stock room? "He's at the back. Sortin' stocks or somethin'."

"Thanks." she said. When the guy didn't move, she looked around warily. What was he waiting for? He's not calling Gajeel so… Could it be that that was a go-ahead? "Um… I… can go there?"

"Yeah, whatever. Door's not locked anyway."

Levy just nodded tentatively. "Uh… thank you, I guess…?" She eyed the 'ONLY EMPLOYEES ALLOWED' sign by the door before deciding to just get it over with. Hey, the employee told her to go ahead, right?

As the kid said, the door was not locked. Levy quietly slipped inside the room and looked around. It was indeed a stock room of the shop - with stacks of CD's, vinyl records, headphones, players, speakers, other gadgets and whatever supplies the store sold. It wasn't a big room and Gajeel was a large guy, so she saw him right away, standing in the middle of the room, back turned towards her.

She was about to speak up to try and catch his attention when she noted the phone he held against his ear, a split-second before he spat a harsh curse to whoever was on the other end of the line.

"You son of a bitch."

Levy flinched at that, because even if several of her housemates regularly used that kind of language (and to one another no less), she knew they didn't really mean it. But here, Gajeel's tone of voice indicated that he meant every word he said.

He kept talking, pausing every one in a while to wait for replies: "Are you fucking serious? Look, I don't give a shit if you want to bail out or quit your half-assed band, but don't take me down with you. You know we have a gig tonight. You know I'm countin' on this gig. You know I need the cash - and now you cancel because, what, some chick invited you to a party? FUCK-… WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM, FUCKER IT'S YOUR FUCKING BAND! - D'you have any idea how hard it is to get a goddamned gig in this shithole of a city? - Yeah, of course not because we're the ones who work for it while you do shit! - Out? What d'you expect us to- FINE. LEAVE, QUIT, THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO DO! - You and your shithead drummer can't play for shit anyway! - AND YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE A PRETENTIOUS DICK AND YOUR SONGS ARE SHIT. There, I said it. - WELL, FUCK YOU TOO!"

Levy jumped and stepped back when he slammed his phone down on the table. Because of this, she almost toppled over a stack of small boxes nearby. She yelped, but managed to straighten the stack safely again.

Gajeel whirled around and stopped when he saw her. "You're-... I forgot your name."

"Levy." she said, smiling uneasily. "Levy McGarden. I'm… uh, Juvia-chan's-"

"Yeah, the guys who helped her out, you were here the other day." he nodded, still frowning a bit. "What're you doin' here? Only employees allowed in here-"

"Um, the guy at the counter said you're here and I could… come in."

"That little piece of-" he cut himself off, sighing. "He shouldn't have done that."

"He's busy with his phone..." Levy said, looking down and fidgeting.

"I oughtta get him fired, never does anythin' right anyway." he grumbled. He seemed to have calmed down a bit, eyeing his guest. "Anyway, if you're lookin' for Juvia, she's out right now. Lookin' for a job."

"Oh. That's good. I hope she finds one right away." she tried her best to smile as genuinely as possible. Not that she found his company unpleasant, it was just that…he was looking at her in a strange way. Like he's trying to… figure her out or something. "Well, actually I think she might've left something at the Gui-… at our house. This one." Levy took out the sketchbook from her bag and handed it to the man. "Would you happen to know if it's hers?"

"Yeah, it is." he answered in monotone, flipping through the book shortly. "I'll give it to her. Tell 'er you dropped by and all. Anyways, she wants to go back to your place after she's done sortin' her stuff out. Won't stop talkin' about her Gray-sama person."

Levy couldn't help but giggle at that.

He continued, "Thanks for bringin' this back. She lost a lot of stuff, she'll be happy to have this one back."

"It's nothing. Please tell her we look forward to her visiting. And Gray's doing well. I'm sure he'd like to see her all fine and settled." Levy said, patting down her skirt and adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Well, I'll get going now. Can't stay too long in the employee area."

She laughed jokingly, and didn't wait for his prompt to turn to leave, but as she was just stepping out, he called her, "Hey, uh-… you, err-"

"Levy." she repeated. Boy, he was bad at names. It was kinda endearing-… Wait, what?

When she looked at him, he was looking very closely at her, his gaze dropping from her face to her… feet? It made her feel smaller than usual.

"Yeah. Uh, d'you go 'round here often? You-… you look familiar."

A look of realization crossed her face before she smiled at him. "I've done some gigs around here before, if that's what you're pertaining to."

"Gigs, like...?"

"I'm a street performer. I do tap with two of my friends. Maybe you've passed by while we were performing?"

Now it was his time to have the moment of realization. "Ah. Hell." - he chuckled, shaking his head and crossing his arms across his chest. "You're the little tapper girl. With the two guys, the tall one and the fat one. No offense, it's an adjective."

She laughed a bit. "None taken."

"I've seen you move. You guys are great. That… uh, tap-clapping-acapella cover of White Winter Hymnal you were doin' last winter was somethin' else."

"Gee, thanks! We're-… we're not that good…" Levy said, clearly not expecting the compliment.

"You guys don't get paid enough by those hats." he shrugged now. "That's it, really."

"Oh. Well. I'll… get going. Just… um, tell Juvia-chan."

"Got it." he nodded.

She couldn't help but give a little wave when she exited the room.

Levy skipped on her way home. It was a little thing, she knew - to be complimented by a stranger on a single performance he saw. She didn't care.

It made her day a bit brighter anyway.

.

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end of ch. 4

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* * *

 **A/N:** Forgive Gajeel's language, that's part of his plot.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- I think Laxus might have been mixing Radioactive (Imagine Dragons) and My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Fall Out Boy). I once heard a mashup of that somewhere and it was rad.  
\- Have you listened to Pentatonix's cover of White Winter Hymnal? No? WHY? DO IT. **  
**

 **Next Chapter:** "Blame It On the Boogie"  
Juvia and Gajeel visit the guild. There is dancing.


	5. Blame It On the Boogie

**A/N:** Sorry guys, was up finishing NaNoWriMo and then I got sick. I missed the Steam sale because I got sick. Damn you, fever.

Anyways - DANCING! MICHAEL JACKSON! WEE!

Enjoy!

* * *

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 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 05:  
** _("Don't blame it on the sunshine,_  
 _don't blame it on the moonlight,_  
 _don't blame it on the good times...")_  
" **Blame It On the Boogie** "  
\- The Jacksons  
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.

"This place looks nothin' like a house."

Juvia looked at Gajeel and shrugged. "Juvia told Gajeel-kun already, it was originally an abandoned building. It was owned by a man close to Gray-sama and the others, and… Juvia guesses they decided to move in to save on money and effort in finding somewhere to stay."

Gajeel gave a noncommittal grunt, eyeing the paperbag on his friend's arms. She made cookies - a lot of cookies. It's been a week since she first came into the city. She insisted that Gajeel come with her to bring the treats to the guild. "Are you sure this is the place? It still looks abandoned."

"Don't be rude, Gajeel-kun. It's someone's house." was all she said as she bravely walked forward, stepping inside the garage and only stopping for a bit to look around and find the stairs. Gajeel followed her until they stopped in front of a closed door.

The last time Juvia was here, the door was locked and Gray had the keys. This time, she knocked. She didn't know if it works, so she rang the doorbell as well. It was a Sunday - hopefully some of them were home.

They stood by the doorway for a while until someone opened it - a young woman, maybe in her teens, with large brown eyes and long navy blue hair in a high ponytail.

Juvia blinked. "...Um… hello?"

"Hello." the girl said, smiling a friendly smile. "How may I help you?"

They both heard a distant call from inside - _"WENDY, IF IT'S ONE OF BACCHUS' PUPPIES, TELL 'IM CANA'S IN HER FLAT!"_

The girl called Wendy laughed lightly. "No, it's not them!" she called back, then looked expectantly at Juvia.

"Um, my name is Juvia."

"Are you here for someone?"

The woman nodded. "G-Gray-sama? O-Or Levy-san…"

"Oh! You must be- Nevermind, please come in!" the girl said, opening the door wide open and letting them in. "We're in the middle of practice, so things might look a bit messy..."

When they stepped inside, she was welcomed by the sight of dance practice in progress.

She saw the dance floor only once when she first visited and that was on her way out. She didn't have time to imagine what it would look like with actual people in it.

She saw the more familiar faces - Natsu, Gray, Laki, Max and Warren - together with a young woman with silver hair that Juvia assumed was Mira's younger sister (although the name escaped her) and a red-haired woman who seemed to be the one teaching them the choreography. There was no music yet - it seems they're still studying the steps.

"Gray-san, you have a visitor!" Wendy said cheerfully.

The others turned towards them. Juvia smiled as the ones she was familiar with all brightened up when they saw her. Laki immediately whispered something to Mira's sister, while the red-head paused and looked at the others before her gaze flitted back to Juvia.

"Hello, everyone." Juvia said, looking nervous as she fiddled with her paperbag.

Lisanna and Natsu both gave Gray a nudge, and he just looked at them in annoyance before smiling and stepping forward, probably deciding to be the spokesperson. "Hey, you're back." he said with a small smile. "What's up?"

She smiled uneasily. "Is… Is Juvia interrupting anything?"

Gray seemed to look at the red-head for confirmation, and she quickly nodded and spoke up. "Alright, guys - let's take five."

As soon as she said that, the others also stepped forward to meet her.

"Juvia-chan, it's good to see you again!" Laki greeted.

"Hello, everyone told me about you! I'm Lisanna! Wasn't around the last time you were here…" Lisanna said, taking the other girl's hand and shaking it.

Erza also stepped forward, a smile in her face as she extended a hand. "Erza Scarlet. Like Lisanna said, everyone talked a lot about you. It's nice finally having a face to the name."

"I-It's nice to meet you, Lisanna-san, Erza-san!" Juvia said, shaking Erza's hand. The other woman didn't look much older than her, but she gave off an air of authority. She must be some kind of leader figure for everyone. "Juvia is sorry for interrupting dance practice-"

"It's no big!" Max assured. Beside him, Warren nodded.

"Oh, hey - this is Wendy." Natsu said, pulling Wendy with him. The girl smiled shyly. "Hangs out here a lot when there's no school."

Wendy nodded in acknowledgement. Juvia did the same, about to reply when she remembered that she came with a friend. "O-Oh! And um, this is Gajeel-kun! He is Juvia's friend. Juvia lives with him at the moment."

The introductions were done fairly quickly, until finally Laki asked their guest about how she was doing. Juvia told them that she had gotten a part-time job, and then told them her agenda for being there that day.

"Juvia wants to thank everyone for helping when Juvia needed it the most. I-It's not much, but… Juvia made some cookies-"

"COOKIES!" came from almost everyone and Juvia was surprised at how delighted they looked.

"Juvia couldn't make too much, but hopefully there's enough for everyone." she said, offering the paper bag to them.

Laki was the one who accepted it with a grin, and as they opened the package, everyone made their own sounds of approval.

"It smells delicious, Juvia-chan." Lisanna marvelled.

"It looks great." Gray agreed. "But you really shouldn't have."

"Please… Please do consider it as a token of gratitude." Juvia said, looking down bashfully.

"Of course." Erza said, looking at the others. "Now just one cookie for everyone, alright? We still got to practice, can't have you guys stuffing your faces."

"Yes, ma'am!"

She turned back towards Juvia. "I hope you don't mind."

Juvia shook her head fervently. She glanced at Gajeel, and he seemed to be doing fine overall just standing a few steps behind her. "May Juvia and Gajeel-kun watch?"

"Sure!" Natsu said, grinning widely. "If you promise to tell us what you think 'bout it."

Juvia smiled back, nodding.

They all transferred towards a corner of the room, where each of them took a piece of cookie as they all took a break. Juvia shyly stood still next to Gray as the others praised her baking skills. Laki and Lisanna tried to break down the recipe between them, while Erza sternly told Natsu and the other guys that they were still in the middle of cooking up a new routine and that they should leave some cookies for the others.

"Um, Gray-sama, where are the others?" Juvia asked softly. She sat down on the floor, back against the wall.

"Let's see..." Gray started, gaze lifting to the ceiling as he did a mental tally while absently chewing on the cookie. "Cana and Lucy have a guesting thing. Mira, Al and Bis are on the studio as usual. Working. Laxus and Bix are upstairs, probably sleeping in. Jet and Droy got work today, there's a sale at the mall. Levy's upstairs, tapping. She's got a really good routine and we're letting her finish it."

"Oh… Juvia wants to thank Levy-san for bringing the sketchbook back."

"Yeah, she told me you made really cool drawings."

"T-T-Those are just sketches… Juvia isn't really that good at… d-drawing…"

"Hey, don't get yourself down. I can spray paint but I don't come up with the stuff, I just copy designs. Nobody's perfect."

"H-Hai."

Then Lisanna handed the cookies back to Gray. Gray looked up to see Erza calling everyone back to their places to continue practice.

He was about to stand up when the others insisted that it's okay, he should _"go talk to Juvia-chan some more! You already know the choreo anyway!"_

"What the hell." he mumbled, standing up anyway.

"Please don't mind Juvia. Juvia will just sit here and watch!" their guest said, taking the cookies from Gray for safekeeping. Gajeel crossed his arms and sat beside her.

Gray nodded at her, ignoring how his friends chorused their disappointment.

As Erza continued on teaching them the choreography, Wendy took Gray's previous place beside Juvia. She was holding a book and a pen. When Juvia turned to look, she saw the diagrams and the formulas in the textbook. Wendy was obviously doing homework.

"Wendy-san is in high school?" she inquired politely. That's why Wendy looked much younger than everyone. The girl looked no older than 17 or 18.

"Ah, yes." Wendy said, smiling back as politely. "And 'Wendy' will do! That's what everyone here calls me anyways."

"Isn't it distracting? Doing homework while a lot of people are dancing around?" Juvia asked, all curiosity.

Wendy shrugged. "Well, I'm kinda used to it. I know it's weird but it helps me concentrate. It's like white noise by now, actually."

"Wendy comes here often?"

The girl nodded. "This place is like my second home. I'm a foster kid too. I knew Natsu-san and the others from Makarov-jii-san even before I was taken in by my new family. He introduced me to them because I liked dancing too. I'm not as good as them, though…" she looked at the others, all concentration as they danced to Erza's counting. "But I hope I could be, someday. Erza-san is amazing, she can dance all sorts of styles."

Juvia smiled and nodded, also watching the practice. She wasn't the best judge for hip-hop, but the steps looked legit, and Erza seemed very confident with her movements. "What style do you dance?"

"Contemporary. I'm actually thinking of shifting to jazz since it's close. I dance a bit of hip-hop, too… Just a bit." Wendy looked sheepish. "I don't think I have the… uh, swag… for it."

"It does look like it takes a certain kind of… attitude." Juvia mused, observing the dancers. They were the same easygoing folks she spent a morning with just a week ago, but like this, they were like completely different people. They weren't dancing with accompaniment just yet, but Juvia could really see how dynamic it was going to be. Their moves were rough as they all executed the choreo while counting, but it looked good.

"Right. I mean, I can nail down the steps, but some people can just look so much cooler doing it." Wendy continued. She sighed, then returned to doing her homework.

Juvia, not wanting to disturb the girl anymore, simply continued watching.

When Erza clapped her hands twice over her head and announced that they should try dancing with music this time, Juvia sat up straighter. She wouldn't dare miss this.

Erza's phone was hooked to the speakers. She stepped forward to quickly find the song and turned towards the others who were standing by in a loose formation.

They made two rows: Laki and Lisanna in front, an empty space between them for Erza, and at the back, Natsu, Gray, Max and Warren.

Erza nodded, tapped the 'play' button on her phone and rushed to join the others.

The intro was several sound effects, followed by the very familiar start of the song. Juvia recognized it quickly, and so did Gajeel, because she heard him chuckle beside her.

"You like this song, Gajeel-kun?" she asked, but didn't take her eyes off the dancers.

"No shit. It's 'Smooth Criminal'. It's a classic by now." was all he said, shrugging in slight amusement as he also kept watch.

The group all had their backs turned and the start of their routine had them all turning around in sync. After that, the choreography turned much more dynamic as they all moved together.

Gajeel whistled, clearly impressed.

Juvia watched closely. The movements were very rooted in hip-hop, with some popping and locking. The footwork was very fast-paced and the arm movements were snappy. She was amazed at how coordinated the group's moves are - because of the style of the song, the dance was a series of very quick, lyrical movements which so often shifted to slow motion before again picking up the tempo. It took very precise control to not look sloppy. And they all had it.

It was hard to look away from Erza, whose movements were the most polished, being the one who came up with the movements and who had mastered the choreography before sharing it to the rest of the group. She was obviously the standard to live up to in this dance.

But Juvia promised to tell them what she thought, so she tore her gaze away to fall on the other two girls: Lisanna and Laki. Their contemporary and jazz backgrounds were obvious. They took on the steps with the focused precision of trained dancers. Juvia knew they were both students - this must be why they took up the choreography well, adapting to the different style. Their moves were more graceful, though - and their original style shows because they were focusing too much on nailing down the hip-hop, that their performance loses some of the personality they should be giving the dance. But even with that, they had what Wendy called 'swag', the attitude and confidence. They know they look good dancing, and they show it.

Max and Warren were visibly more comfortable with the hip-hop steps, it being their genre. But Juvia couldn't help but be in awe when the popping and locking happens, because the two were great at it. She wondered if that was their style. She vaguely remembered Gray telling her that Warren was an animator. Maybe Max was, too. This must be why their movements were snappier compared to the rest of the team. Still, their movements were fluid when it needed to be.

Then Juvia looked at Natsu. Natsu exuded confidence and he had reason to. His moves weren't the most polished, but what he lacked in the precision, he made up in delivery. Juvia could tell he was a heavy hitter. He was light on his feet and he caught up with all the fast-paced action, but his arm and leg movements were firm and powerful. She didn't know Natsu's style - it wasn't this - but she concluded that he was a performer all the way.

There was an interlude that lasted seconds and part of the steps had everyone's movements slow down while Gray went for a solo break. It was very short, but Juvia saw the smooth, calculated pop-and-lock moves. Then everyone fell into step with each other again, back to the fast-then-slow-then-fast again steps. Gray was comfortable with the style, he moved with the comfort of familiar moves and the confidence of someone who knew his delivery was on point. His moves were almost as good as Erza's for the dance. If Juvia had concluded right away that this wasn't Natsu's style - then she was just as sure that it was Gray's.

That was when she noted the choreography. She already thought it was amazing and dynamic - but Erza must be a damn good choreographer to come up with it because it worked well with what Juvia saw of everyone's strengths so far. It required fast footwork and control, which they all had. The moves weren't too heavy so the two contemporary girls could catch up well, but it wasn't so snappy that only the animators will get to really nail the steps. Erza must have come up with the moves, taking everyone in consideration.

They finished quickly, having only danced half the song. And when they did so, Juvia found herself clapping next to Wendy.

"That was so cool!" Wendy exclaimed.

Juvia nodded fervently. These people were brilliant at what they do. And from the looks of it, it was only their first time practicing.

Beside her, Gajeel was also looking very impressed.

"THAT WAS SO COOL! ONE MORE TIME!" Natsu said, jumping, visibly pleased with how the routine turned out. "C'MON, ONE MORE!"

Erza rolled her eyes. "Let's take a bit of a break, everyone. Or… or keep dancing if you want. Whatever."

She didn't bother turning the music off, allowing the rest of the song to continue as she walked towards the other corner of the room to grab a drink. Her energy drink was in the corner by one of the speakers.

Natsu seemed to have taken her order to heart because after that, he started break-dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Lisanna, Laki, Max and Warren cheered him on.

Gray walked towards their guests. He gestured for the water bottle he left on the spot beside Juvia. "So, what do you think?"

"It was brilliant!" Juvia exclaimed, handing him the bottle. He squatted in front of them and drunk some of the water before raising an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Juvia has never seen group hip-hop dance up close." she said. "The choreography was very good, Juvia thinks it's very clean and classy."

"Nice song choice." Gajeel added.

Gray nodded. "Thanks. Erza came up with the choreo."

"May Juvia ask what Max-san's and Natsu-san's dance styles are?"

The raven-head blinked. "Hip-hop. Why?"

"Juvia noticed that Max-san and Warren-san are really good at the pop-and-lock parts and they move differently than the others. Natsu-san's arm and leg moves are very strong and heavy-looking."

Gray stared at her for several seconds before a smirk made its way on his lips. "Damn, you're good. Didn't expect you to catch that much."

Juvia looked down a bit, blushing.

"Max and Warren are animators, that's why they're good with the snap moves. Because they always do the robot stuff." he explained. "Natsu's a krumper. That's why his moves should be heavy. He's also a b-boy."

Juvia nodded, seeing that demonstrated on the spot as Natsu just finished a breakdance exhibition and stood up, then pulled Lisanna with him and the two started dancing freestyle.

"Laki-san and Lisanna-san are really good, too… If Juvia didn't know they were contemporary dancers, Juvia wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"Well, we all got to dance hip-hop. Contests 'round here are always street dance. The contemporary ones're filled with all sorta criteria. Plus not all of us can do it."

Gajeel cleared his throat then, knowing that the two are getting engaged in conversation now. "Uh. Where's the toilet?"

"It's upstairs." Gray answered, standing up. "Just… uh-"

"I'll take you there." Wendy volunteered, standing up. "I was going to borrow Levy-san's laptop, anyway."

Gray watched as Gajeel followed the girl upstairs, before taking the guy's spot beside Juvia. "You got good eyes." he started. Juvia looked at him, blinking. He continued, "You caught all those stuff in the choreo. You dance too, don't you?"

She bit her lip, avoiding his look, just fiddling with the paperbag of cookies in her arms. Of course, with commentary like that, there was no way she'll get away with being a stranger to dancing. Slowly, she nodded.

"No way." Gray chuckled. "What style?"

"C-Contemporary."

"Nice." he remarked, smiling. It took all of Juvia's willpower to stay still as he observed her quietly. Why was he looking so closely at her? "It suits you. Why didn't you tell us before?"

"J-Juvia is not a really good dancer…"

"Still a dancer." he concluded. "You with a group? Studio?"

"Juvia is self-taught…"

"Like the majority of us."

She nodded mutely.

He turned to call on his housemates, but saw that they were busy dancing (to a different song now) WHILE trying to watch him and their guest. Laki even winked and Max held two thumbs up as they did some random disco moves. But at least they were trying. Unlike the others. Warren, similarly, was mouthing _'KEEP TALKING TO HER!'_ while doing the Macarena. Lisanna was making a grand _'No, go on, pretend we're not here!'_ gesture... disguised as dancing? Natsu was letting her drag and twirl him around in what looked like their attempt at a waltz. You _don't_ Macarena or waltz to Uptown Funk, you just don't. He wanted to shout at them for that.

Erza was chilling on a corner of the room, pretending to mind her own business, scrolling through her phone. He knew she was pretending because when he looked at her, she smiled her guilty _'I SWEAR I'M NOT GUILTY'_ smile. She does that.

He wanted to clobber them all. Honestly.

The only saving grace here was that Juvia was feeling too awkward to notice what was happening.

"How long've you been dancing?" he asked her again.

"Juvia started at around fifteen… but never formally. It's just… videos and watching some practices. Juvia had a part-time job cleaning up on a dance studio once."

"Fifteen? And you're what, now? Twenty?"

"Twenty-two."

"Huh. Same." he blinked. "Although turning twenty-three next month. Hey, you've been dancing seven years - you oughtta be good. Ever performed for others? Like, a contest or for a job?"

She shook her head frantically. "Juvia never danced with others, it's… it's… embarrassing!"

"You can't just dance by yourself all the time. No matter how bad you think you are at it."

She looked at him blankly.

He gaped. "No way, for seven years?"

"W-Well sometimes Juvia lets Gajeel-kun watch… Only sometimes!" she stammered out. "B-But Juvia came to town to… to do something about it!"

She froze, promptly horrified about spilling too much. Was it too much? She just didn't want Gray to think that she was a total weirdo so she started explaining herself but-

"You said you went here to get a job." he started slowly, in a tone that indicated he was slowly figuring things out. "Wait. You're trying to go pro?"

The woman nodded tentatively. "J-Juvia got a spot in the auditions for the Rainfall Contemporary Dance Company a-and Juvia came to town to prepare for it and hopefully if Juvia gets accepted, Juvia can be a professional member of the group and-"

Gray stopped her there. "Whoa, whoa wait- Rainfall? As in… the one run by- uh, that scary dance and theater woman, Lucy's mentor-"

"Aquarius-sama."

"THAT one?"

She nodded.

Gray turned towards his dancing friends. "Oi, Lisanna, what're the requirements to get an audition spot at Rainfall Contempo?"

Lisanna quickly stopped dancing, surprised by the seemingly random question, but she answered quickly. "Uh, at least 18 years old, strong contemporary background. You have to send in a solo dance video and they filter that before you get called in. Why?"

Gray raised an eyebrow at Juvia. "You have a spot for audition and you think you're not good? Dude, even Lucy had a hard time getting in. Well, she eventually transferred to Broadway because the Aquarius woman thought she's a better fit for that- nevermind. But this means you're at LEAST her level."

Juvia gaped. "L-Lucy-san auditioned too?"

"Twice. She needed two tries to get in." he said, a look of amazement in his face, as if he was also realizing his words then.

By this time, Lisanna and Laki had joined them curiously. "Wait, are you auditioning for Rainfall?" Lisanna asked. "You dance too?"

Laki continued, "That's, like, the only reason I'm trying to make it in dance school! So I can get a pass to Rainfall! It's the best contemporary company 'round here!"

"Guess what, she's already got a spot in auditions." Gray said smugly.

Both girls gaped, looking at their new friend. "HOW GOOD ARE YOU?"

Juvia ran a hand through her hair. She didn't expect them to react like this. "J-Juvia got lucky...?"

"No, you didn't." Erza cut in, joining them. "Lucy showed me her old audition videos once. If that's the level required to get in, they're not fooling around. She's got years of classic training too. You should be really good if they're allowing you to audition."

Juvia nodded slowly, somehow it was more amazing coming from Erza, who she was told can dance almost every style.

Natsu smirked. "Lucy's gonna freak out when I tell her this."

"So when's your audition thing?" Max asked. Juvia hadn't even noticed that the others had joined in.

"Two months from now." she answered softly. "Juvia is still preparing a piece… Juvia practices at Gajeel-kun's apartment rooftop sometimes..."

Gray looked at his friends, particularly at Erza, and she seemed to read his mind. The red-head nodded quietly.

"Hey, tell you what - if you don't have a studio, you can practice here." he told Juvia, who opened her mouth to protest. "It's gonna get busier soon, since we got a contest to prepare for, but there are plenty of dance spaces in here."

"That's right!" Lisanna agreed brightly. "We've got this floor, the garage, it's easy to clear the living room upstairs, there's an empty room on the fifth, and the rooftop…"

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia can't possibly- That's too much!"

"It's alright, really." Erza reassured. "I'm sure Laxus won't mind. I bet he won't even notice."

"Besides, we all started out the same here." Gray followed, absent-mindedly picking a cookie from Juvia's paperbag and taking a bite. "Self-taught, learnin' from vids and TV until we can make up mean routines." - he paused. "Maybe if you get in, just bake us more of these cookies."

Juvia blushed as the others scolded Gray, accusing him of eating a second cookie when they all promised to have only one each.

He almost choked as he snapped back at them. "I couldn't help it, they're the best freakin' cookies I've ever tasted!"

* * *

Levy had pushed the couch, pillows and coffee table to one side of the living room. All she had was the tap board and her reflection on the TV set, as she came up with a tap routine.

When Wendy and Gajeel arrived on the floor, she turned towards them.

"Hey." she smiled at the visitor. "It's you! Gajeel-san!"

"Drop the '-san'. Nice place you got here." Gajeel nodded in acknowledgement, looking around. "Juvia's downstairs. She brought cookies."

"Oh! Really?"

"We're saving some for the others." Wendy said, then turned to Gajeel, pointing towards the bathroom. "There's the bathroom, Gajeel-san."

"Thanks." was his low reply as he disappeared towards the bathroom.

Through the door, he heard Wendy asking Levy if she could use the woman's laptop for some research on her homework. Levy agreed. There was the sound of footsteps fading again - perhaps Wendy going off to retrieve said laptop.

He decided to wash his face a bit, then grabbed some tissue to dry off. As he did this, he heard rhythmic tapping sounds. Levy must have continued her session.

Even though he had seen his fair share of tap dancing by some street performers and on TV, he had always been interested in the sounds that the dancers make. He can ignore most dance numbers, but he always stayed for the tap dancing - he just thought it was more awesome because the dancers made their own music. They danced to their own moves. Even though their trademark was the speed of their steps, each one was calculated because each one made a sound and sound is always critical to a dancer's performance. Even a single misstep would be very obvious. For that, tap dancers always impressed him.

So he decided to stay there in the bathroom for a while, enjoying the sounds of rhythmic tapping created by the woman he knew was dancing outside. It was hard to picture that such a small and calm-looking person was making this kind of music. He expected her to have the same style as Juvia, at least. All grace, turns and light steps - but here she was, every step heavy, making a sound, counted.

He was a musician - he knew good rhythm when he heard it. The "little tapper girl" was really good. Gajeel was a guitarist and not a percussionist per se, but he could appreciate the variety in the beats that he was hearing.

Dammit, it looks like Juvia found a bunch of very talented folks.

He stood by for a while longer, listening to the frantic tapping sounds. It was more modern sounding, somehow - he heard some claps and snaps in some places. He also found a pattern to it.

Yes, he wasn't a percussionist – but he recognized familiar beats and he knew how to play in accordance to those beats. This percussion solo that he was hearing? It's a good match for a good song.

When he went out the bathroom, he saw Levy dancing away at her tapping board. She was only wearing a tank top, a pair of short shorts and her dark brown tap shoes, her hair a messy ponytail on top of her head, a headband pulling her bangs back - and she just. Wouldn't. Stop. Moving.

It was amazing, really - how much energy does she have saved up in that tiny body? Hey, it actually was a really fit, surprisingly compact-muscled tiny body, and from his current position, he could appreciate the shapely curve of her hips-

Crap.

Gajeel looked away, regretting his decision to watch. HE JUST WANTED TO LISTEN TO HER MAKING PERCUSSION SOUNDS, DAMMIT. He was there to appreciate the music!

He cleared his throat then, catching her attention. She stopped and turned towards him. He came up with a lame excuse on the spot. "Uh, you got some water?"

Of course they have water - it's a house and they were all dancers and LOOK THAT'S THE FRIDGE RIGHT THERE!

Gajeel didn't know what was up with him today.

"Of course! There's the fridge. Wait, I'll grab you a glass."

Before he could tell her that he could get it himself, she already hopped off the board and strided towards him. _How could someone walk that fast?_ He followed her and stood awkwardly by the dining table as she grabbed two glasses of water and then headed to the fridge.

"Oh look, there's still some orange juice. You want some? Or just water?"

"Just water, thanks."

How could someone still look like she has twice the energy after dancing for that long? He will never know. She still looked more alive than him.

She poured water for him and juice for herself. "So, you really just went with Juvia-chan here to deliver cookies?"

He shrugged, taking the glass of water. "It's a day-off. She won't go without me. Now she's busy watchin' the dance practice downstairs."

"Erza made a mean routine." Levy smiled to herself before drinking the juice, at the same time wiping the sweat off her brow with a towel.

"She did. It looked great." he said, looking around. "So Juvia wasn't kidding? You all live here?"

"Yup! It's a lot more homey than the outside, right?"

"Yeah."

"We thought of painting it, actually. The outside walls? We got two good graffiti artists here. But then we realized some kids might use it as a hangout. Or just spray over it. You know how they get. And we don't want that."

"Point." he said in agreement.

They fell silent after that, simply drinking their beverage. Gajeel didn't feel like going just yet - he thought Juvia should just bond with her new friends. Levy looked like she was taking a break too, so he didn't feel like such a disturbance in her company.

"Your... tap dancing a while ago. 'Ya came up with the routine yourself?"

She nodded. "I'm still improving it."

"You realize it sounds like that one Michael Jackson song?"

She blinked, brow furrowed in confusion. "Tap doesn't… sound like anything."

"No, but the percussion arrangement matches something. You guys dance with a song sometimes, right?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes."

"You should check it out. I think you'll nail it." he commented.

"What song?" she asked as she walked away from him, towards the coffee table pushed to one side of the room. She picked up her phone and looked at him.

He looked back at her with a smug grin. "Blame It On the Boogie."

She raised an eyebrow. "As in... umm..." then she half-sang a snippet of lyrics she remembered from the song's chorus, _"Don't blame it on the sunshine… don't blame it on the moonlight...?"_

"That's the one. Dunno how I came up with it. Not the biggest Jackson fan, but they were doing one of his downstairs too." he shrugged. "Thought it matched your timing. I mean, while you were tapping I was listening and it matched the tempo and rhythm - of the chorus, I think - maybe it'll sound good."

On the short time he explained, she had already looked the song up and it started playing on loudspeaker softly.

 _(( My baby's always dancin', it wouldn't be a bad thing.  
But I don't get no lovin' and that's no lie… ))_

She listened, then looked at him, quite impressed. "You have good ears."

"I sell music." he deadpanned, then realized a minor mistake and shrugged. "Other people's music, but the point stands."

 _(( We spent the night in Frisco at every kinda disco  
From that night I kissed our love goodbye… ))_

"You're in a band too, right?"

"Guitar. Worked with plenty stupid vocalists and drummers - sometimes you had to adapt to keep a song from crashin'. So I needed the good ears."

To his surprise, she put her phone down on the table, then stepped right up into the tap board, waiting for a cue in the song. Then she started tapping again.

 _(( Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight… ))_

She wasn't used to it, but she was taking it in stride and using her earlier steps, adjusting her tempo just a bit to match the music. "Hey, you're right!" she said shortly, continuing to dance. She even managed to sneak in her snaps and claps.

 _(( Don't blame it on the good times, blame it on the boogie! ))_

He watched and listened, pleased with his song choice. He focused on her feet this time. He never really knew how they could move like that.

 _(( Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight  
Don't blame it on the good times, blame it on the boogie! ))_

After the chorus, when she ran out of choreo, her beats became more erratic - obviously improvising now - but still matching the beat well. She even inserted a nicely-placed turn in her impromptu routine. It's good that they picked a familiar song.

But after another chorus, she stepped off her little stage and stopped the music. "That was a nice idea. You're good at this!"

"Hey, I'm a guitarist. That means I'm accompaniment. I know how to match beats."

"Mm-hm." she nodded thoughtfully. "We don't always dance to accompaniment, though. We're not too big on classic instrumentals. It's not too easy to find modern songs suitable for tap, either."

"Your style's real flexible. There's a ton of songs that'll fit right in." he replied.

"Maybe." she replied, considering the idea.

She liked this conversation. She thought that Gajeel would be a rough and tough guy, only being gentle to Juvia and passably polite to others… but he was actually quite a peaceful person from her encounter with him when she brought the sketchbook over. And now, he's quite the talker when it came to music. Plus, he doesn't hesitate to give out praise - most guys she knew outside the Guild were always too afraid to do that.

So Levy continued, "A problem, though. More often than not, we'd have to tone down the percussions in the arrangement. Doesn't always work out when we edit…"

"Custom arrangements should work better with what you do."

"True."

"That way the sound stays genuine _and_ you get to control how much backup percussion you want, since you're taking that part."

She nodded again. "Exactly what I was thinking. But our DJ doesn't really play instruments. And no one here knows how to make music digitally. Just mixing and mash ups and stuff."

"Well, just sayin'. This city's full of artists. Musicians, dancers, painters. Specially downtown." he set his glass of water down and started to head towards the staircase again. "That's how we end up there anyway."

She pocketed her phone, following him. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." he shrugged. "You're a dancer, and you love dancing. But that's not your day job, isn't it?"

Levy paused, watching him disappear downstairs. He was right. She knew what he meant.

Shaking the thoughts off distractedly, she followed him anyway.

* * *

When they got downstairs, Laki and Lisanna were already asking Juvia all sorts of questions about her audition, while Gray was trying to argue with Natsu and Erza about… cookies? Either way, the dancing has stopped and they were just hanging out together now.

Levy strided past Gajeel, heading towards her friends. "I was told that there were cookies!" she announced cheerfully.

"Levy-san!" Juvia happily greeted, offering the said treats to the other woman. "Thank you for bringing Juvia's sketchbook back! It means a lot!"

"Aw, that's no biggie!" Levy replied, taking a cookie before she turned to Erza. "Erza, how's the routine?"

"It's looking really good." Erza answered. Levy stepped forward to talk more about their dance.

Gajeel sat beside Juvia again and the woman turned towards him. "Gajeel-kun, Gray-sama and the others said that if you need to record something… your demos and music, you can talk to Laxus-san."

"Wha-… you told 'em about me?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"We asked." Max said. "Natsu thought you looked like a krumper."

"Got the arms for 'em." Natsu shrugged.

"I don't dance." Gajeel replied. "But yeah, I play."

"Laxus has recording and DJ stuff up there. Mics and some mixers, plus his lab's sound-proof. You get on his good side, he might let you use it." Gray said. "S'long as you promise not to break anything there, anyway."

Gajeel nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

He watched as Laki and Lisanna told Levy about Juvia's upcoming audition and the woman's jaw dropped in amazement as she joined their little crowd and gushed about it together.

On another corner, Erza had Natsu, Warren and Max with her, and they were probably all talking about their routine, with Warren and Max making some useful suggestions while Natsu turned to Erza and nodded in approval at some.

Meanwhile Gray was telling the other girls that they were probably scaring Juvia. "Don't hover too much, guys." he said warily. "You're gonna scare her into not coming back."

All three girls promptly stopped, backed away a bit and apologized to Juvia if they were being too nosy. Juvia smiled at them appreciatively, then started asking about Lisanna and Laki's performing arts school, genuinely curious because there was nothing like it back in her hometown.

They answered cheerfully and politely.

Gajeel simply kept watch as this all happened. He looked at his best friend's smiling face again and inwardly sighed in her relief. He came with her today because he was worried they wouldn't be nice even though Juvia had sworn that they were. He should have believed her.

Because watching them now, he finally accepted that Juvia found truly good people, and he was glad he worried for nothing.

.

.

end of ch. 5

.

* * *

 **A/N:** Our family business is a Lights and Sounds system, you bet I know all of MJ's hit songs by heart because I grew up in _disco_.

re: Rainfall Company - Aquarius has many creative investments, the dance troupe only one of those. They should all have water-related names. I just thought 'Rainfall' was a nice fit for the genre.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- The entire Smooth Criminal part was inspired by the 'Smooth Criminal' routine choreographed by THE B.I.P.S - look it up on YouTube and imagine the crew dancing it because it is seriously badass.  
\- I really don't have any reference for the 'Blame it On the Boogie' part but I'm sure there are a number of tap routines to that song in the net.  
\- But for badass ladies tap dancing, go look up the Syncopated Ladies.

 **Next Chapter:** "Love Is Real"  
(GRUVIAAARRRGGGHHHHHHHH)


	6. Love Is Real

**A/N:** This is late because I didn't want to post Chapter 6 before I'm done with the draft of Chapter 9. Hehee.

Okay, now I won't keep you here for long. Here 'ya go. Gruvia goodness! And friends being friends.

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 06:  
** **Love Is Real** _  
("It is not just in poetry and stories_  
 _It is truth and it will follow you  
everywhere you go from now on")_  
\- Jason Mraz  
.

.

It was livelier than usual over the breakfast table. It was one of the rare mornings that everyone in the house was present.

Natsu was in a serious debate with Warren and Elfman about the food (probably the bacon vs toast debate again). Lucy, Laki and Lisanna were talking about Lucy's latest TV guesting. Levy, Jet and Droy were discussing about tap dancing. Mira was talking to Laxus about the bills and expenses. Alzack and Bisca were also crunching some numbers in a small notepad. Freed was reading the newspaper as he ate. Evergreen was chatting Erza up about something that happened at work. Bixlow and Cana, who were the ones in charge of the breakfast that day, had just finished serving everything. Both took their places at the table and started to eat.

Cana did the customary headcount - she noted Max was still missing and concluded that he was still in the shower (it always happens, he takes forever for some weird reason) - and that was when she noticed that the man beside her had his attention divided between his breakfast and…

Waitaminute. Gray's eyes were glued to his phone. From the soft beeping sounds every now and then, he was engaged in a conversation. This… never happened.

"Oi, Gray." she said lowly, peering at her best friend. "Something happen? You've been on your phone since a while ago."

He shrugged absently and took a bite of his breakfast before answering. "Nah, it's just Juvia."

She blinked, smiling slightly. "You text each other now?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, she said 'Good morning' so… it's just… mean… if I don't reply?"

She snorted. "And you've been exchanging 'good morning's for half an hour?"

"Well, I asked her how she's doing because… I dunno, that's what normal people do?"

"Okay. What are you talking about now?"

"Her new job. She's waitressing for this diner nearby for half a day."

"Hmm. And?"

"I told her uh… good luck?"

"Then?"

"Then she told me good luck too because I told her I'll be at the drinks stand at the beach today-" he stopped when he noticed that it had gotten eerily quiet all of a sudden. He looked around and saw that everyone else was listening in. From his other side, he saw Lisanna trying to peek into his phone. Gray drew the gadget close to his chest, effectively hiding it from his friend's prying eyes. "ALL OF YOU MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!"

They all made noises of disappointment before going back to their own discussions. When he looked at Cana again, she was laughing at him. "WHAT?"

"You're blushing." the brunette managed to say between her stiffled laughter.

"I'M NOT." he said, avoiding her amused look.

"You know you are." Cana cooed.

She was right, but he's not letting her win this one. He's going down fighting. So he looked at his phone again, sent one last message and pocketed it. "Conversation's over. Nothin' to see here."

"Aww, Gray-sama is embarrassed!" Lisanna teased, poking his arm playfully. Beside her, Freed carefully inched away a bit, trying to keep his food and drink out of potential harm's way.

"I'm not embarrassed." he said, poking her back. "And don't call me that."

"You liiiike her!" she continued, this time using both hands to poke him.

Gray frowned and, with a completely straight face, returned her jabs. "I was just talkin' to her normallyyyyy..."

"But d'you liiiike her?" Cana asked, joining in the poking. Gray yelped when she almost got his ticklish spot.

"Get 'im, ladies!" Natsu cheered. Beside him, Lucy was giggling, taking pictures with her phone.

"NO! I mean, y- I don't know!" he said, now switching to full defense, trying to cover himself from their prying fingers. "She's nice, but don't push it too much!"

"Huh. That's actually fair." Lisanna decided, stopping the poking. "Weird. You're usually more defensive."

"Okay answer." Cana nodded, returning to her meal. "We'll accept it."

"What's it to you, anyway?" he asked.

The brunette answered with a shrug. "Everyone was telling me you were very sweet yesterday, sticking with her all the time. Didn't sound like you to me."

Gray huffed. "That's because everyone else was hovering. I didn't want her to get uncomfortable."

"Yeah, she looked like the shy type." Natsu said, actually agreeing.

"She IS the shy type." Warren added.

"Can we all stop talking about her? She might've tripped by now." Gray deadpanned.

"Ohhhh, are you worried?" - this came from Lucy and Natsu. Goddammit, do they share a brain?

"ANY DECENT PERSON WILL WORRY ABOUT SOME INNOCENT TRIPPING AND FALLING OVER!" he defended.

"Yo, chill." Cana laughed. "You know this is why you get teased, right? 'Cause you flip so easily?"

He glared. "How do you want me to react, then?"

"More chill." the brunette continued.

"You want me to chill." he repeated. "How chill?"

"Err… Look at Laxus, for example. Oi, Laxus, how was last night with Freed?"

Freed coughed.

Laxus didn't even look up, focused on the bills he was going through as he answered, "Not bad, but we were making out when Bixlow decided to walk in singing. So yeah. I hate you, Bixlow."

"You were on the couch!" Bixlow defended, helpless.

"My couch."

"The common room couch! The bedroom's like, five steps away? MY POOR INNOCENT EYES? I love you both but… but MY EYES?"

"You'll live." was all Laxus said before talking to Mira again. Mira who was trying not to laugh out loud.

Meanwhile Freed was obviously choking on his food. Evergreen just rolled her eyes and handed him a glass of water before returning to her breakfast. It was obvious this happened pretty often.

"Please stop endangering other people's lives for the sole sake of Gray's enlightenment." Erza lectured in a gentle but amused tone.

"Sorry, Freed!" Cana smiled apologetically, then turned back towards Gray. "But yeah, you should stop snapping over every little thing and just answer our damn questions."

"Well, stop making fun of every little thing." he shot back.

"We're not making fun, we're honestly curious." Lucy said.

"It's just that she's cute and you're cute and you two look cute together." Lisanna followed.

"Well, thank you for thinking that we're cute. I appreciate the sentiment." he said, sighing in defeat. "Now everyone shut up. Let me finish my breakfast in peace."

Before anyone else could speak up, Max entered the scene, ecstatic, and almost screaming - "GUYS, GALS, NONBINARY PALS - EVERYONE! IMPORTANT NEWS!"

It was effective. Everyone looked up at him.

"'Sup, dude?" came from Natsu.

He lifted his phone up, triumphant grin on his face. "We got contest details! Date and mechanics and all!"

Suddenly the dining table was filled with excited chatter again. It was Erza who raised her voice to call for silence, before looking expectantly at Max. "What do we need?"

Max scrolled through his phone. "Okay, so basically it's… well, a dance competition, all crews in Crocus are invited to join. Some more technicalities, blah blah, we all probably pass this, we don't have minors here anyway. No celebrities or professionals though, so… sorry, Cana. Lucy." - the two women shrugged and waved it off easily. They already expected that. "It just said street dance - no specific genre - so we're assuming all hip-hop styles are in?"

"Good. We can have the variety we want." Erza commented. Between everyone in the house, she was lyrical, Gray is pop and lock, Natsu is krump and break, and Max and Warren were animation. Everyone else were pretty flexible. They've got the styles covered.

"There's only one event. The finale is a live show, but only five teams get in." Max continued, tapping and swiping away.

"How do we get in the five?" Gray asked.

"Elimination round is online. Post a performance video on YouTube - 4 minutes tops - and announce you're joining. Enough people 'like' our vid, we're in. Deadline's three weeks from now. All upvotes 'till end of day is counted."

"And then?" Mira prompted.

"They'll announce the top five and they have 'nother three weeks 'till the show and that's it. Grand prize is cash AND a contract with one of the sponsors. And they're big companies, too. They have a site up if you want specifics, but that's the gist."

Most of the table went silent for a while, probably still letting the information sink in.

It was Evergreen who broke the silence. "Well?" she asked, looking at the other occupants of the table. "You guys are joining, right?"

They all nodded and made sounds of agreement. Then wordlessly, everyone turned towards Laxus.

The man raised an eyebrow and just looked back at them until Mira nudged him lightly. He owned the building. He was the eldest of their group, him and Mira being 26, the rest of them around 20 to 24. He was effectively the leader of this dance troupe. Of course they'd turn towards him to give the go-signal.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Go for it. That's what you're all here for. Y'all know we're gonna back you up."

Everyone cheered shortly, but fell silent again when the man raised a hand for silence again.

"And like always, we're doin' this together. But no one's forcin' anyone to do this. Show of hands - who's in?"

Everyone but Lucy, Cana, Elfman, Mira, Alzack, Bisca, Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen raised their hands.

"It's street." Mira said. She exchanged glances with Alzack and Bisca. "Not exactly our genre."

"But we'll do whatever we can do to help." Alzack said. Beside him, Bisca smiled.

"Same." Lucy followed. "If it's a battle of upvotes, we can tweet about it. Ask a lot of people to check it out."

"Just make sure it's worth recommending." Cana added, smirking. "Can't have people thinking we've got poor taste."

"Thanks, guys." Erza said earnestly.

Laxus also nodded. "Right then. It's the usual crew. We're gonna do this like always." - he breathed deeply before continuing. "Erza, you take point. You and the others come up with a concept for the vid, pick a song, or songs - you need something remixed or mashed up, you come to me. We'll work on it."

The red-head blinked, looking at the rest of her friends before asking, "Me? Are you sure?"

"You'll do fine." he answered.

"We're sure you can come up with something great, Erza." Mira backed that up.

Erza looked down, nodding.

"Street guys - Gray, Natsu, Max, Warren - Erza'll consult with you. Don't let us down." Laxus continued.

"Aye, boss." Natsu answered. The others made similar noises of agreement.

"Lisanna, Laki, tappers, you gotta polish up. It's a hip-hop contest, you gotta dance like you own the style. Get help from the guys if you have to."

"Got it." the two girls answered. The tappers: Levy, Jet and Droy nodded as well.

"And like I said, we're here. We're your backup. Come up with the concept, focus on performing. We'll help you polish up, we'll take charge of the vid. Elfman, Evergreen, you still on for camera work?"

"Of course." the two answered.

Evergreen even added her own remark. "And if you guys need fancy makeup, you know yours truly."

"And extra muscle." Elfman said. "If you need something made, I can be your guy."

Laxus nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll help direct and critique if you guys need me to. Natsu, specially you. Your krump's still rough on the edges."

"Aye, Master." Natsu answered, emphasizing on the second word.

Laxus didn't comment on the younger guy sassing him. He just continued. "Bix?"

"Anything I can help with." Bixlow answered with a grin. "I'll help you with the editing stuff. You need effects, fancy lights, whatever - I'll see 'bout it. And props, I'll work with Elf if he needs me. Graffiti and art stuff, I'm game."

"Same here." Freed said, needing no prompts. "I can help with the video a bit if Bix gets too busy. And if you guys need some wardrobe stuff, I'll help you figure it out. Ever and I work in theatre, lots of dance enthusiasts - we can hopefully get word out on your video when you post it, let it spread from there."

"Great." Laxus replied, and then looked towards the others again. "You heard my team. We're on standby. But you guys - you got three weeks 'till deadline. I suggest you leave at least one week to get it online. That means you got at most two to come up with a routine, have me mix the music, shoot the vid, edit and post. That means y'all need to up your game and come up with this quick."

"How about your day jobs?" Mira asked, looking at the rest of their team worriedly.

"We'll practice at night." Erza said. "Then take time off - all of us - for a day to shoot it."

Warren nodded. "I'll ask to take some of the morning shifts so I can make it every night."

"We can do that too." Natsu said. Gray nodded at him. Maybe he'll take a bit of a break from the beach job if they run the schedule too tight.

"I'll take a lighter load." Erza added. "Maybe just the morning zumba sessions in the gym. That way I've still got most of my day off."

"I'm not gonna tell you all how to pull this off. You guys know what to do." was all Laxus said, crossing his arms across his chest. "So do it."

There was a general sound of agreement from everyone in the table. It was much quieter for the rest of that morning, perhaps with they were all already planning ahead on how to free their schedules enough to make it to rehearsals.

But one thing is for sure, and everybody knew this. The quiet tension hanging in the air? It wasn't from nervousness. It was excitement.

Erza hoped it would last long enough to get them through this.

At least long enough to get HER through this.

* * *

It's been more than two weeks since Juvia started working in the nearby diner. She wasn't new to being a waitress, she had even had a full time job as such which lasted for a few months. This was why working for only the 6 AM to 12 PM shift wasn't all that tiring to her. She still had time to walk around, explore the different parts of town, familiarizing herself with the places. Then usually, she would go home, try to work on her audition piece - find inspiration on something, listen to all sorts of music fit for her genre...

Sometimes, when she doesn't feel like going home yet, she dropped by the record store first.

Today was one of those days. It was still in the middle of the afternoon… it was too early to go straight home.

Most of the other employees of the store knew her already. It seems like Gajeel has been regarded as some kind of honorary senior employee because he's the one who does the jobs best, scolds everyone, takes no shit and has worked in the store the longest. So when he says everyone should remember this particular customer or person, everyone does.

Today, when she entered the store, she was greeted by one of the part-timers. He was a teenager with longish raven hair, bangs that covered half his face, and a thin horizontal scar across his nose. All Juvia knew of the kid was that he was still in high school, always wore black (with enough grays and dark reds and dark blues) and that he played piano. Juvia always saw him just peacefully reading a book when there were no customers. She actually likes the kid - the others intimidated her.

"Good afternoon, Juvia-san." he greeted, smiling lightly. "Gajeel-sempai is at the back, sorting out stocks."

Juvia smiled back at the teen. "Thank you, Rogue-kun!"

She walked past the counter and entered the back room. Technically, she shouldn't be there, but it looked like the employees simply don't care. That was good, she thought - she bore no ill intentions anyway.

When she stepped inside the back room, Gajeel was no longer sorting the stocks. He was sitting on a stool, his back turned towards her, holding an acoustic guitar. No, not just holding - he was playing something, while maybe using his foot to tap to the beat for timing.

The song was familiar. Juvia recognized it easily.

"Michael Jackson, Gajeel-kun?" she asked, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. "That's unusual."

He stopped playing. "Nah, s'just… kind of a last song syndrome kinda thing."

"Rogue-kun said you were sorting stocks."

"I was. I'm done." he indicated boredly towards the stacks of boxes around the room and the neat folders on the table. "And he's got the floor covered, so I can take a break back in here."

"Gajeel-kun made Juvia remember the routine we saw last time. At the Guild." she said, walking across the room. She set some documents aside to make some space at the table before sitting there.

"Yeah, well..." he scratched his head tentatively. "I talked a bit with the tapper girl, your friend who brought the sketchbook."

"Levy-san?"

"Yeah, her. Watched her do her thing - y'know, tapping - for a bit. I told her she should dance that to MJ."

Juvia blinked. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, it fits. And now the song's stuck in my head. Thought I'd play it."

"Does Gajeel-kun like Levy-san?"

The man looked up at her blankly. He was about to ask her to stop joking, but Juvia simply looked back, expectant. That was when he realized that she was just honestly curious, and he looked taken aback. "...Hell no? HELL. NO. Shut up."

She shrugged. "Juvia was just asking."

"She's cute. Whatever." was all he said, looking down at his guitar and strumming absently. "And pretty damn talented, I dunno where she gets all the energy from, movin' her feet like that."

Juvia laughed, then seemed to remember something when she looked at his guitar. It was a standard-looking brown wooden acoustic guitar, the body littered with stickers of bands and some other urban designs, like a skateboard. "Gajeel-kun is playing with a band tonight?"

"Nah, the fuckers bailed on me. Cancelled gig tonight."

She frowned. "...Didn't that happen last week too?"

"Different fucker this week."

Juvia sighed. "Gajeel-kun should stop dealing with bad bands."

"Bad bands." he repeated sardonically as he leaned heavily on his guitar. "There are tons of bands in this city. Only a few of 'em really reliable. I've known a lot of people who really got talent but some pretentious dick would make a band, think they can't catch up to him and fires 'em after. Sweet-talk their way to hiring replacements but they think they're too good anyway."

SHe shook her head warily. "They don't sound like nice people."

"Well, some of 'em have real talent and have lots of following making covers, and then bail out on original stuff. Some bands think they know a lotta shit and hire temp guitarists and drummers but then treat 'em like trash. I've know some dudes who just join bands to score chicks, can you believe that?"

She looked down, shrugging and avoiding his look. "Juvia can believe that."

Gajeel looked up, saw the look on her face, and his jaw dropped. Shit - how careless was he? Him and his stupid mouth. Sometimes he really wished he had a stronger filter. "Aw, hell. Your last-… Shit, sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't-… Sorry, Ju."

"Juvia is over that now." she smiled lightly. "Don't worry."

"You never deserved that bastard anyway. Thinkin' he's the greatest gift to mankind 'cause he can play four chords. 'Ya shoulda slapped him harder."

This time, Juvia giggled a bit. "Don't be mean, Gajeel-kun."

"I'm bein' honest." he scoffed. "And there are lotsa guys like 'im around. Gives the rest of the really good people a bad name."

"Nevermind that." she said, waving him off. "Why is Gajeel-kun not in a normal band, then? Gajeel-kun knows how to treat people seriously, right?"

"Right." he nodded, but looked down, considering. "Maybe it's just… y'know, the usual. Creative differences."

She blinked.

"I mean, many people share my taste, many guys know the genre. That's clear as day. But… I dunno, bands I ran with, they wanna do original stuff but can't stand takin' risks. But if you're not the vocalist, you don't deserve to get a word out. I've got drafts, I've got original riffs but when you're just the accompaniment, they ignore your opinion. Or listen to it but take it down."

Juvia nodded, understanding a bit better now. "And Gajeel-kun is not a vocalist?"

"C'mon. You shout at me when I sing in the shower." he said, snorting.

Juvia smiled guiltily.

"But yeah, I'm no vocalist. So there 'ya go. 'Sides, nowadays everyone wants to be different but they wanna sound the same. Bullshit, right?"

She understood what he meant, and only nodded. "But Gajeel-kun should at least accept offers from the… decent bands."

"Most decent bands can keep their members in check." he said, chuckling. "It's the bad bands who lose core members and have to hire temp guys like me because they can't find one who'll stay with them. Bad band, right?"

Juvia just sent a sympathetic smile to her best friend and reached out to give his shoulder a comforting pat. "Gajeel-kun will find a band someday."

He nodded, appreciating her concern. She always had his back when it came to his music, the same way he always had her back on her dancing.

"What 'bout you? How's the audition piece comin'?" he asked.

When it took her more than five seconds to answer, he turned to look at her. She was looking down, a small pout on her lips, fidgeting.

"Dude. Come on." he deadpanned. "Still nothing?"

"Well, not really nothing..." she answered. "Juvia has a certain song in mind… It's really pretty."

"Is this a different song, because for the week you've been practicin', you've switched songs five times too."

She let out a little nervous laugh. "Yes, a different one..."

"Okay, so Song Number 6 it is, then." he sighed. "You really should settle on one already. How 'bout the steps?"

"Juvia thinks the steps still need more work."

"That's what you said when we sent your vid, and look… you got in." he rolled his eyes.

"But the actual auditions-"

"Should be tougher, I know." - he knew it by heart now. They've been talking about it all week. Juvia was never happy with what she came up with. It all looked great to him, but he was no dance critic… so he can't reprimand her too much. "Look, take your time… but not too much time, 'cause you still need to fix your issue with dancing with other people watching you."

"Hai." she sighed. "It's just… Juvia needs more… inspiration?"

"Inspiration. What kind?"

She shrugged, obvious that she's not even sure with it. "Juvia should probably just walk around some more."

"Whatever you have to do, man."

"Maybe Juvia should go to the Guild."

The guitarist raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Gray-sama said they're practicing for a dance contest. Maybe Juvia should watch more people dancing." she shrugged. "It might help...?"

"Are you sure you have to watch people dancing, or just your crush dancing?"

She turned towards him, this time with a big pout and a blush on her face. "J-J-Juvia also needs to practice! They said if Juvia needs practice space, Juvia can come over."

"What's wrong with our rooftop?"

The woman sighed. "Everyone goes to Gajeel-kun's rooftop and this morning someone set up more clotheslines and now there's literally no moving space there anymore."

Before Gajeel could speak, there was a quick knock on the door before it opened and Rogue peered his head inside. "Um, Gajeel-sempai-"

"Yeah?" Gajeel asked, not bothering to face the teenager.

Rogue was fidgeting with the sleeves of his oversized sweater. "Um, there's a customer looking for an album of a band I've never even heard before..."

"Is it the blonde kid with the fur coat and the skateboard? Scar on eyebrow? Shit-eating grin on face?"

Juvia saw Rogue blink, curious. "Y-Yes, actually. How did you-"

"You deal with 'im."

"But-"

"Just go with him to the artist shelves and help him look for it, make sure he doesn't break something. Everything's in alphabetical order anyway. I still gotta sort more stuff here."

Rogue nodded uncertainly and then left them again.

Juvia looked at her best friend. "Juvia thought Gajeel-kun is done sorting stocks."

"Yeah, I am. But kid's gotta earn his keep." Gajeel replied with a noncommittal grunt. "'Sides, that blondie's got a crush on emo kid."

The woman blinked. "Um… what?"

"The skateboard kid. Always comes in here when Rogue's on shift but just walks 'round and steals glances? One time I assisted him with a vinyl record he kept asking questions 'bout our kiddo. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's up."

Juvia couldn't help but chuckle. "Is Gajeel-kun playing matchmaker?"

"I'm not." he scoffed. "D'you know how annoying it is to watch that blonde kid… pining?"

"Pining, really?"

"Pining. Not even creepy pining, it's the horrible teen movie adorable kinda pining. I swear one of these days, I'll catch 'im sighing dreamily over the stacks watching Rogue read. Maybe if something happens, if he can get a date, he'll go be less annoying or somethin'."

"What about Rogue-kun?"

"Stealin' glances back thinking no one notices. They should just freakin' get on with in, it's seriously depressing."

"Gajeel-kun IS playing matchmaker!" she concluded, laughing.

"Shut up."

The woman just giggled. Finally, she hopped off the table. "Juvia should get going now."

He looked up at her. "You really goin' to the guild?"

She nodded. "Juvia needs practice."

"Is it really just for practice?" he asked, grin teasing.

Juvia huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Y-Yes, for practice." She then met her friend's look with her own piercing one.

The glaring contest lasted for a grand total of fifteen seconds before Gajeel gave up, looked away and waved her off. "Fine, fine. Get outta here."

"Juvia wins." she had a satisfied smile on her face and held her head high as she walked past him.

"'Ya better have good news 'bout your dance tonight."

"Hai, hai!" she laughed lightly, and then she was out the door.

* * *

Juvia acquired a bicycle from one of Gajeel's neighbors when she first moved in with him. The old lady next door told them that her grandson was moving away and had a brand new bike waiting for him, a present from his parents. The woman was eager to get rid of the old bike that she offered it to Gajeel and Juvia. The price she set was cheap, but when she heard about what happened with Juvia's luggage on her first day, the kindly woman actually gave the bike to them for free.

The old thing was a bit rusty and rough on the edges but it still worked decently. It was too small for Gajeel, but just enough for Juvia - so nowadays she used it to go around town.

The bike ride from the record store shouldn't be too long, but on the way there was a slightly steep slope. Juvia was a decent biker but she didn't want to risk it, so she walked the rest of the way.

When she got to the building, she quickly parked her bike by the garage, out of the way of the other vehicles, and made her way up the first set of stairs. She rang the doorbell gingerly, but with less nervousness this time around. It's been a week since she came to the place with Gajeel, and throughout that week, she had exchanged a number of friendly texts with Gray. She was very curious about their dance contest thing… so maybe it will do her good to visit again.

She didn't have to wait long. Gray opened the door, topless and only wearing a pair of loose-fitting jeans. He was barefoot. "Hey." he greeted. "Juvia."

Juvia would be lying if she said that it was easy to focus on his face then. "Good afternoon, Gray-sama…"

"What's up?" he asked as he let her in. She expected people in the dance floor again like last time, but she was surprised to see no one. Maybe it was too early in the afternoon. She concluded that some of them would be at work.

"Ah, Juvia got off work and..." At this she came up with a little white lie. She didn't want to give away that she was grasping at straws because she didn't know how to proceed with her dancing. "...and Juvia was biking around, came into the neighborhood. So Juvia thought about visiting Gray-sama and the others."

Gray smiled uneasily. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. No one's home. Just me, Laki and Bixlow. Laki's in bed, called in sick. Bixlow's tinkerin' with stuff upstairs."

Gray led the way up to the third floor. Juvia followed him, curious. "Gray-sama said the crew practices everyday from afternoon to night."

"Yeah, well…" he paused a bit, then sighed. "We… we're taking this afternoon off."

Juvia didn't know why - yes she might have a crush, and she might stare or listen to Gray more than she listened to the others - but even though she did not know him too well, she sensed that there was something off with his answer. "Is everything okay?"

He glanced at her shortly before shrugging. "Mostly."

"Is Juvia disturbing Gray-sama?"

"Nah, it's okay. Company for me. There's worse."

They were on the third floor now. Gray had headed straight to the kitchen to take out some snacks and drinks, while Juvia lingered by the dining table.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, and it sounded mostly like a diversion. He stood by the fridge, his back turned to her. "Water, soda, orange juice... Beer? We've got a separate cooler for beer, y'know that? Cana drinks enough for all of us."

"Juvia will have the orange juice, thank you."

"Got it." he said, taking out a half-full pitcher of orange juice and a small container from the fridge. "Hope you don't mind microwaved pizza."

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia is sorry. Gray-sama shouldn't go through all the trouble-"

"I told you, I don't mind. There's just the two slices left anyway." he said. "And I'm so used to our girls bullying me - you're a really welcome change of pace."

"Even Levy-san?" she asked, because she couldn't imagine Levy 'bullying' Gray…

"Specially Levy-san." he snorted. "Y'know what they say, beware of the nice ones."

She smiled a bit, accepted the pitcher and glasses from him. They waited quietly for the microwave and when it was done, they headed to the living room area. They sat on opposite ends of the couch, Gray with his feet propped up on the coffee table, Juvia with hers tucker under her.

As they ate, Juvia spoke up. "Gray-sama has no work today?"

"Ah, I was hopin' you wouldn't ask that." he sighed. Gray drank from his glass before answering. "I lost my job yesterday."

She looked at him, surprised, then slowly put her glass down on the coffee table. "Juvia is sorry."

"S'not your fault." he said, chuckling. He ran a hand through his hair, looking down sheepishly. "Not mine, either. I think."

She looked at him - he hid his emotions well, simply smiling easily, but the crease on his brows told her otherwise. "What… happened? If Juvia may ask, that is."

"Well, I'll keep it short." he breathed deeply before continuing. "I got into a fight while on duty. There was this event, I saw one of those shitty old men hitting on this girl… I tried to resolve it peacefully, I swear. I told him maybe he's had a bit too much to drink and he might be scaring the girl. Stuff like that. She's, like, in high school, man. Maybe 'bout Wendy's age, and she was terrified. But he got really aggressive and… started punching and he was already breakin' some of the display. I dunno, was havin' a long hard day, it was my second event that day already, and the girl was crying, the man grabbing and throwing things… so I… well, I punched him in the face."

Juvia gulped. That sounded really bad.

"It knocked him out. Turns out though, the man was one of the clients. So my boss fired me."

She frowned. "Gray-sama didn't do anything wrong."

"Nah, it's cool." he shrugged. "The job sucked anyway. And the boss was a prick."

"Juvia is sure Gray-sama can find a better job." she said, smiling encouragingly.

He smiled back a bit, but sighed again. "I can get through it, no big. It's just… I kinda took it badly last night. Ended up getting in a fight with Cana for it. I was a jerk."

"What did Cana-san say about it?" she asked, all patience.

Somehow Gray found it easy to answer that. "As usual, she shouted back, threw her shoe at me, then left. She meant well, I knew that. She just said that she can loan me money if I can't get a job right away. It's just… I was really angry 'bout what happened and I took it out on her. Then… a while ago we were rehearsing and… I dunno if it's just me but Erza really looked out of it. So I told her that she looked distracted, and- Shit, I really dunno what's up with her 'cause she just looked pissed and then snapped at me. I fought back and she got angry and brought up the thing with Cana. Then I told her to mind her own business-…" he trailed off before sighing. "It's just… a lot of shouting. I mean, there's always a lot of shouting 'round here but those are different."

Juvia stayed silent, not knowing what to say. She still had half her slice of pizza left. She watched as Gray finished his before he spoke up again.

"Cana's mad at me. Erza's mad at me and stormed out. Levy left for the day probably 'cause she didn't want to get mad at any of us. Natsu took off because he's supposed to do the groceries, and probably so he wouldn't have to take sides. The others are still out, and Laxus will kill us if he finds out we've been fightin' instead of comin' up with our routine. We're a week in and still nothin'. So yep, empty house. Sorry you had to hear all that. You must've been hopin' to see us makin' progress."

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia is sure Gray-sama and the others will come around if they apologize to each other. Maybe… everyone is really just feeling the pressure."

"Yeah." He nodded quietly. "Thanks."

After a while of silence, he looked at her. "I'm makin' you all sad, am I? I swear I'm not always this miserable."

She finished her slice of pizza first before she smiled. "It's okay."

"How 'bout you? How's the routine going?" he asked, sitting up straight now.

"Juvia was supposed to practice this afternoon, but the apartment rooftop was occupied." she admitted. With Gray being honest with her, she felt guilty for not doing the same right away.

He looked at her. "D'you need practice space? S'that why you came over?"

"Not really…" She shook her head, hugged her knees to her chest and looked down. "Juvia is not sure of the routine. It's the sixth song now, but… nothing feels good enough."

Gray chuckled, "We all feel that way."

"Really?"

"Yep." he sighed. "Dancing's easy once you get the steps down. The hard part's when you have to make it mean something."

Juvia nodded, fully understanding what he meant.

"You wanna practice?" he asked, this time sounding more enthusiastic. "Now's a good time. No one's gonna disturb you."

The woman looked up at him. His face had that easy-going encouraging grin, the same one he sent her that first night when he invited her inside the house to warm herself up.

Juvia was silent as she looked down again, fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. She thought about it - but found that she really had nothing to think about. She came to the guild because she wanted to check up on everyone and to find some practice space. That was just what she was getting, right?

So she finally nodded and said, "If Gray-sama won't mind, Juvia would like to practice."

* * *

He offered her the use of the whole second floor, but she got nervous, worrying about the others suddenly walking in on her. She told him she didn't want anyone else to see it yet. She was not ready.

Gray nodded, respecting that, and led her upstairs instead. He told her she could have the rooftop. Less instrusions there.

When they got to the sixth floor, they had a short stop-over. They dropped by Laxus' activity area to find Bixlow sitting by the working table, focused on dismantling a laptop.

"Hey, man." Gray greeted.

Bixlow looked up. "Yo! What's up?" he smiled a toothy grin. "Hey, it's Juvia-chan! Hello there."

Juvia smiled back. "Good afternoon, Bixlow-san."

When he caught her curious look at his current activity, he said, "I'm tryin' to fix this poor laptop that Ever broke. Hell, actually I don't think it can be fixed. I dunno how she did it, but it's fried. I'm just tryin' to recover what I can."

Gray looked around. "We're gonna use the rooftop. Juvia needs practice space."

"Uh-huh..." Bixlow nodded as he continued his work.

"So you got a spare portable speaker we can use?"

"Eh, there's a few over there. M'sure the big boss won't mind." - then after a beat, he added, "Get the green, that one's the best."

"Thanks, I'm borrowing that one. Tell Laxus for me." was all Gray said, heading towards a shelf and picking up one of the speakers - the green one, as instructed.

"Sure, bro."

After that, they climbed up the last set of staircase and stepped into the rooftop.

It was very different from the rooftop of Gajeel's apartment building, Juvia thought. The whole area was clear, flat and mostly clean. It was very unlike the greasy, sometimes muddy floor of the crowded apartment rooftop.

"It's clean. You can even dance barefoot if you want." Gray said, walking forward and putting the speakers down. He continued talking as he started setting it up. "It's the reason some of the rooms haven't been repaired. We pitched in to have this whole area tiled for dancing space."

"How about maintenance?" Juvia asked, setting her bag down beside the speakers.

"If somebody wants to use it, they'll have to clean it themselves. Natsu and Lucy always use it lately though, so I guess it's pretty clean. They go up here to do Lucy's morning yoga or something."

Juvia nodded. He reached out, palm up and she gave him her mp3 player. He hooked it in the speakers before handing it back to her.

She slowly scrolled through her playlist to find the right song, then she paused and looked down at Gray, who was adjusting the volume of the speakers. "Will… will Gray-sama watch?"

He looked up at her, expression tentative. "I can leave if you want me to. I mean, if you need space…" he trailed off with an awkward shrug.

She fell silent, biting her lip and avoiding his look.

Gray got the message and he stood up, then pat her on the shoulder. "It's alright, I'll leave you to it. You need anything, I'll be hangin' out with Bix downstairs."

Juvia nodded, watching him as he walked away. She was thankful that he understood, that he respected her need to be alone and didn't demand anything of her… But at the same time she didn't necessarily want to hide from him. From anyone, really. She knew she couldn't audition like this, needing to ask everyone else to leave the room so she can dance by herself. She would have to face the challenge of strangers' eyes on her if she really wants to achieve this. And Gray wasn't a stranger, he was… well, he was a friend, at least. Not as close as Gajeel, maybe - but someone she could trust.

She has to do this.

Gripping her mp3 player, she mustered up enough courage to speak up. "G-Gray-sama!"

When she looked at him, he was already by the doorway, hand on the doorknob and head turned towards her curiously. "Yeah?"

"Will Gray-sama s-stay and… and tell Juvia what he thinks about the routine?" she asked softly, watching him turn around to face her. "J-Juvia needs feedback… if that's okay…"

He nodded as he closed the door behind him again. "Sure."

Juvia left the mp3 player on standby and laid it on top of her bag. She slipped off her sandals and cardigan, only leaving her in a dark blue loose-fitting, unbuttoned plaid polo shirt on top of her white tank top, and torn jean shorts. This wasn't what she always danced in - it wasn't even how she dressed in general. She bought the clothes from a thrift shop, and couldn't afford to be too picky.

She walked forward, putting a decent distance between her and the speakers. It was her first time in a very long time to be in such a wide area for dancing - but she knew for this routine she wouldn't utilize the whole floor.

Gray sat beside the speakers and her bags, watching as she stretched gingerly and breathed in deeply. He was just waiting for her signal.

She stared back at him then, tensed - frozen. God, what did she get herself into? She's going to dance this unfinished piece to someone who never even saw her dance a single step-

He already told her that he thinks she's good. What if… What if she's not as good as he thought? What if she just ends up messing up and letting him down? What if-

"Juvia." he called, snapping her out of her thoughts. She blinked. "Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded mutely, but didn't relax.

"Look," he started again, tone comforting. "I can tell you're really nervous. I know you're not used to this, but… you can't keep dancing alone forever."

When she didn't answer, he continued.

"I'm not gonna tell you to dance like nobody's watching. Well… I'm biased 'cause that doesn't work on me. And either way, you know I'm here. At the auditions, you'll know other people are watching. You should just… dance. Without trying to live up to any standard or expectation. Dance like nobody will judge you. 'Cause that's why you freeze up, right? Because you're afraid of what they'll think?"

She nodded, surprised at his words. She found herself breathing more evenly, her clenched fists unclenching.

"If you can get over that, it's a starting point. You have to make your first move. Then you just keep moving until it's over."

Juvia closed her eyes and nodded again, this time her brows creased in concentration.

'Gray-sama won't judge.' - she thought, and kept repeating it like a mantra. 'He won't judge. He won't judge. Noonewilljudge. Juviawilldanceandnoonewilljudge.'

With all the determination she's got, she fell into her first position.

Gray smiled, taking the mp3 player in his hands. "Ready?"

"Yes."

He pressed 'play'.

He didn't expect the vocals to hit him first thing, no intros or instruments… It was just followed by the soft strumming of the accompanying acoustic guitar.

 _((Love is real - it is not just in novels or the movies...))_

But what really gave him pause was Juvia's movements matching those words. She said she danced contemporary but she didn't tell him her style was lyrical. Her arm and shoulder movements for that first line were brilliant - simple and with a light mood to it.

 _((It is fact... and it's standing here right in front of you.))_

He caught her feet stumble a bit as she first moved them, but he chalked it up to nerves. He was sure this wasn't easy for her. What's important is that she wasn't stopping.

 _((So if you just open your eyes, oh what a sweet discovery -  
There is hope… There is joy… and there is acceptance.))_

Her lines were great: her turns were neat and purposeful, and her leaps had a lightness to it. It wasn't a perfect jump, but her intentions came right across as she slowly began to smile.

 _((So now let all the light that collects on your plants keep you warm, make you smile._  
 _And I will be there with this pen in my hand to record all the while...))_

She threw her head back and spread her arms wide - turning in place before slowly walking backwards. It wasn't the most impressive dance step, but it made a special savory moment in the routine, full of emotion despite the commonplace gesture. Sometimes that's what mattered most.

 _((You'll be laughing so loud... that the house will shake with sound..._  
 _And everything will be as new as the day it was found.))_

Gray drew in a breath as he watched her do consecutive pirouettes, arms raised - before she transitioned to a sitting position on the floor smoothly.

 _((Ohhh... love is real - it is not just in long-distance commercials,_  
 _Or something that you thought you felt back in high school.))_

Her floor work wasn't half bad either, although he could see the hesitation in it. As she got back up, her steps were now more confident, her arms and legs extending proudly and gracefully for every move.

Some of her lyrical movements even reflected his own style, he noticed. While she moved, danced, turned, jumped and gesticulated like water, all grace and flow, some of her gestures were intentionally snappy. It was reminiscent of some classic pop-and-lock hip-hop moves. Gray idly wondered if her style has always been that way.

 _((So I will turn black and white, become that horoscope you're reading..._  
 _It predicts that something good is on its way.))_

Gray had seen Lucy, Lisanna, and Laki dance in this style once or twice. Juvia's routine was rough on the edges, but he could tell that she was indeed in their level. Lucy has a certain style that worked better when she had to act as a character. She was an actress and she was best like that. Lisanna and Laki were the youngest of them and still learning, and while their training made sure their moves were always technically perfect, their personal choreography still lacked the proper depth and experience. Juvia, however, carried something more… personal and creative. Her dance, though imperfect, carried a greater deal of maturity.

 _((And I'll send you all the world green and blue in a box through the mail..._  
 _You can open it up, hold it right in your hand and be glad that it's there..._  
 _And be glad that you're there...))_

Gray smiled as a splash of oranges and pinks colored the woman's dancing image. It was late afternoon and the sun was just setting. It gave off a surreal image, with pink and orange light streaked against Juvia's blue hair, dark outfit and fair skin.

 _((Now you can feel all the knots in your stomach, they start to untie..._  
 _And suddenly it's not so hard to say you're alright...))_

Then after successive dynamic movements, Juvia's steps reduced back to standing stationary, only her arms, heads and shoulders moving before she stopped completely. Her last movement was to raise head and look at him with a small smile.

Gray felt lighter. For some reason, he felt… better.

The rest of the song was playing, but it was obvious that she had finished her dance for the meantime.

Gray just sat there, taken aback with what he just witnessed and thinking about how to give… feedback. Yes, feedback - that was what she needed him for, right?

Juvia was standing there now, panting and fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "W-Was it… It was horrible, wasn't it?"

The raven-head merely shook his head and the first coherent thing he was able to muster up was, "That was beautiful."

Juvia froze upon hearing his words, her face heating up as she asked, "W-W-What...?"

"What was that?" he asked, smirking at her and lowering the speaker's volume. "I mean-… WHAT WAS THAT? You were worried about THAT? Dude."

Juvia gave a nervous laugh, but refused to look at him.

Alright, maybe he was scaring her. So instead, he stood up and started to get more technical, to ease up the tension. "Okay, I saw more than a few stumbles, but I'm chalking it up to nerves. Your form was fine so I bet you can nail those down if you weren't so nervous. The floor work is… kinda subpar compared to the other stuff, so I bet you're still thinking about keeping or ditching those?"

She nodded.

"But the rest… well, your choreo's great, can't wait for you to polish it. Song choice fits you well and… y'know, you should smile more." He paused for a beat before he added, "Actually, maybe that's the nerves too. It looked great when you smiled, though."

He stepped forward, because she was just standing there and looking at her feet. He didn't know what was going through her head - was she regretting her decision to let him watch her dance? Maybe she thinking about his critique? Did he say anything wrong?

Juvia almost jumped when she realized that he had walked up to her now, and Gray had stopped just a foot away from her.

"What I don't understand is..." he started again. "Why would you try to hide… THAT? Keeping it just to yourself? You're a beautiful dancer, and I'm not just flattering you. You shouldn't be so scared, it was amazing. Anyone who doesn't see that, they're probably blind."

Then it was his turn to freeze up as he heard her sniff. All this time she had her head bowed and her couldn't see her face - so he peered down and promptly gaped.

"Holy sh- You're crying!" he exclaimed. "I JUST TOLD YOU IT WAS AWESOME! WHY ARE YOU CRYING?!"

Juvia sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Gray-sama is so kind…"

"Actually, I'm usually a jerk but today I've made two of my best friends upset and the other two walked out 'cause of that so I'm not risking it with you as well." he blurted out in one breath, scratching his head tentatively.

This time Juvia let out a small laugh as she looked up at him. "Thank you."

"Are you okay? Why were you crying? Did you hurt yourself turning or jumping?"

She shook her head. She wasn't crying anymore. "Because Juvia was scared… now Juvia's just happy." she said, and he just looked back at her in slight confusion before sending a small smile back. "Juvia thought that… the dance was bad. Only Gajeel-kun has seen it before and… and he always said it's good but Juvia has never danced in front of another dancer- Maybe Juvia was actually a bad dancer and Gajeel-kun just didn't know better-"

"Well, news flash: you're not half-bad." he chuckled. When she giggled, hugging herself and rubbing her arms, he took the liberty of turning around to head back to the corner and retrieve her cardigan for her.

She followed him quickly, meeting him halfway to accept the item. As she wore it again, he asked - "Why did you pick that song? Just curious. 'Cause I know the guy has other songs with more variations that you can use."

He led her to the edge of the rooftop where they both stood side by side leaning against the railings and looked out at the view of the downtown neighborhood.

Juvia shrugged, looking up at the sky instead. "Because Juvia thinks the song is pretty. True and honest and simple."

"Love is real?" he asked, echoing the song's title and lyrics.

She nodded. "Doesn't Gray-sama think so?"

It was his turn to shrug this time. "'Course I do. But I know why sometimes people find it hard to believe it."

"That's why Juvia likes it." she replied. "Because sometimes believing is hard but the song says it so simply and it leaves no room for doubt."

"That sounds… personal."

"Juvia has been through some really bad things, and some of those almost made Juvia stop believing. But then Juvia listened to this song… Juvia liked how hopeful it is."

He wondered if she was always this open, but he didn't ask. Gray simply nodded and they fell silent just watching the scenery. It wasn't the best of views, but it was peaceful to look at anyway. Up from the rooftop, the streets didn't sound so loud.

They talked a bit more about Juvia's routine and some of her previous song selections. He agreed that the latest one fit her style the most so far.

Then she looked at him and asked, "Gray-sama, aren't you… cold?"

Gray looked down at himself and his expression turned to that of pure dread. "H-How long have I been topless?"

"Since Juvia arrived."

"SERIOUSLY?!"

They decided that they should go inside since it has gotten dark and Gray wanted to grab a shirt for himself. First, they stopped by Laxus' place to return the speakers they borrowed. Bixlow was still there, busy with the dismantled laptop. Laki was there as well, wrapped in a blanket on the couch and cradling a box of tissues while reading a thick paperback. It looked like she decided to spend her sick time with the only other available company in the house.

After Gray set down the speakers, he turned towards Juvia. "You should stay for dinner."

Before she could answer, Bixlow and Laki already followed with "You should stay forever."

Gray sent them an exasperated glare, but Juvia only laughed before nodding.

"Juvia would be happy to."

.

.

end of ch. 6

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* * *

 **A/N:** Yes uh, that last bit was a Mulan reference. **  
**

Also haha I wrote Rogue in before I knew it. Then Sting followed. It wasn't planned. But goddamn matchmaker Gajeel is fun.

Most people might find it unexpected (or too fast) that Gray is warming up to Juvia right away. Please remember that in the story, they're already young adults. 22 to 23 year-olds. They've got their fair share of experience, jobs, no world-threatening distractions. I think this makes them easier and more open to the idea of relationships in general.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- Again, I relate Juvia's dancing style to Caitlin Kinney and Kathryn McCormick from SYTYCD. Her " _Love Is Real"_ dance was inspired by Kathryn's _"Beautiful"_ and _"Shadowfeet"_ solos.

 **Next Chapter:** "Footloose"  
Find out where Natsu and Levy ran off to during all this drama.


	7. Footloose

**A/N:** And here we take a step back to see what Levy and Natsu were up to while Gray was brooding at home. This chapter (and the next) happens at the same time as the previous one.

This was really fun to write, and has our second song-and-dance number. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 07:**  
 _("Jack, get back - come on before we crack!  
Lose your blues, everybody cut...")  
_ **...Footloose!**  
\- Footloose The Musical.

.

Natsu was standing by the school gates, chilling and playing a game on his phone when he heard two familiar voices say his name.

The chorus of _"Natsu-nii!"_ and _"Natsu-san?"_ was unmistakeable. He turned to look at the two teenagers he both treated as his younger siblings: there was Romeo, his usually unruly raven-hair hidden under a beanie, wearing a large sweater, torn pants and beat-up Chucks, and then Wendy, with her long dark blue hair in a neat braid, wearing a cardigan over her green dress, black stockings and loafers. Both carried their books and school bags. Behind them, a ton of other students were streaming out the gates.

It was dismissal time, Natsu realized. Of course. So he greeted the two back with a grin: "Yo!"

"What're you doing here?" Romeo asked. He was a tag-along kid of Natsu and the others when they were just snotty teenagers themselves. Romeo's dad Macao was a government worker and a good friend of Makarov's. Romeo hung out with the Guild kids and looked up to them. He was eager to master hip-hop and breakdancing like Natsu so he also frequented the Guild. That band-aid on his nose was no doubt a result of him practicing again.

"Are you waiting for someone?" came from Wendy. She was an orphan - her case worker was a woman named Porlyusica who was a friend of Makarov's as well. Now she was with a foster family, but she still hung out at the Guild often, mostly because she also wanted to polish her dancing skills. She met Romeo in the Guild and both teens were pleased when they ended up in several classes together at school.

"Lisanna." Natsu answered. "We're s'pposed to do the groceries today. But her school's got this road construction thing right in front of it?" - both kids nodded in understanding. They took that route going to school, after all. "There's nowhere to hang nearby so we figured we'll just meet up by the high school."

"That road thing's a real hassle, I always gotta go 'round the block to get to school." Romeo huffed, rummaging through his pocket before taking out a handful of fruit-flavored candies. He offered the treats to his companions.

Natsu and Wendy both took a piece each. Natsu quickly popped the candy into his mouth while Wendy tucked hers in her pocket and adjusted her books in her arms. "Is Lisanna-san arriving soon?"

"Actually, she's late." Natsu frowned, checking his phone for the time. All three of them looked around. Maybe Lisanna was just lost in the crowd of high school students exiting the school. "She told me to _'get there by 5 PM sharp, Natsu! HEAR ME? FIVE!'_ " he rolled his eyes as he imitated his best friend's high-pitched voice. "And I'm here and it's PAST FIVE and she's still not-"

He was then cut off by a sharp tug on his arm and the next thing he knew, he and Romeo were standing side by side while Wendy tucked herself behind them.

"Sorry! Hide me, please!" Wendy squeaked, holding on tightly to the back of Natsu's jacket and Romeo's sweater.

Romeo rolled his eyes and groaned. "Ugh, Wendy, seriously? Now?"

"Wait wait wait what's happening, I don't understand." Natsu said, blinking in confusion.

They could feel her shaking her head. "I'll explain later, please hide me for now!"

But Romeo nudged Natsu and then whispered. "See that girl, cute face, bright pink hair, eleven o'clock?"

"ROMEO!" Wendy squeaked. They ignored her.

"Who, twin tails?" Natsu asked, catching the bright pink hair in the crowd. The pretty girl looked just about Romeo and Wendy's age, and was talking and laughing with her friends as they walked huddled together.

"Yep." Romeo continued. "Apparently she's YouTube-famous, y'know… making those videos of 'erself, singin' cover songs? She's really good, by the way."

"Right. Pink YouTube singer girl." Natsu nodded. "Okay, so?"

"I caught Wendy watching her vids. Straight. Up. Sighing. And when I asked if she likes the girl, she just turned super red and ran away."

This time Wendy groaned hopelessly. "Noooo I didn't run- See, I had to get to class-"

"Oooohhh..." Natsu grinned. "Baby sister's got a crush-?"

"No, it's not like-"

The so-called adult in their trio then asked, "What's our progress?"

"The progress is that Wendy hides when she's around." Romeo deadpanned. "She looks friendly, really - why're you even hiding?"

"That's it? Well fine, we're gonna help you score." Natsu said, all determination.

"NATSU-SAN, NO!"

 _"NATSU-SAN, YES."_

Wendy could scream in horror as the two turned around and tried to put her in front of them instead. She struggled, but they were quicker and stronger. "W-W-What are you two-"

 _"Quickwhat'shername?"_ Natsu whispered.

Romeo replied quickly as instructed. "Chelia."

Then, to Wendy's further horror, Natsu started talking really loudly - emphasizing words- no. NAMES: "Hey, WENDY! We checked out that CHELIA girl's vids last night? THEY WERE COOL! THANKS!"

And to make the situation worse, Romeo picked up without missing a beat: "Yeah! You got really good taste if you like CHELIA's covers! They're great! Thanks, WENDY!"

Not too subtly, all three of them then turned towards where they last saw Chelia. Wendy could almost faint when she saw that the other girl was looking right back at her, blinking.

She heard a distant whisper that sounded like Romeo saying _"oi oi jaw up! close your mouth stop gaping!"_

Chelia smiled at her and waved.

Wendy waved back dumbfoundedly and watched as the other girl then resumed talking to her friends and walked away.

When she looked at Natsu and Romeo again, they were practically jumping in place, doing their secret bro handshake and patting themselves on the back. They stopped when they saw her blushing furiously and pouting at them.

Natsu just grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Wendy Wendy Wendy, she knows you now! Now you just gotta be friends and then- uh, and then- what do you guys do nowadays?"

"Fall in love and stuff! Hell yeah!" Romeo cheered.

"Yeaaahhh!" Natsu echoed.

Meanwhile Wendy just slowly rubbed her temples, seemingly drained of all energy as she said, "Nice to see you, Natsu-san… I'm… I'm going home now…"

"Oh man, is she angry?" Natsu asked, as both of them watched the girl trudge away, still blushing heavily as she hid her face behind her books. It looked like she was talking to herself.

"No, she's probably having a mini breakdown. You know, her crush just smiled at her." Romeo answered. Then he adjusted his backpack and said, "Well, see 'ya round, Natsu-nii. Gotta make sure she doesn't run into any-… Shi-… WENDY! POST!"

Natsu just watched as the teenager dashed to save his friend from crashing into a street post and then led her safely back in the sidewalk. Romeo waved at Natsu before they went on their way.

It was then that Natsu heard a familiar voice beside him. "Was that Wendy and Romeo? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, probably." Natsu answered, turning to face Lisanna. He frowned. "You're late."

"No, actually you're just on time."

He raised an eyebrow. "That means you're late, right?"

Lisanna looked away. "I was meant to get here 'round 5:30. You're always at least half an hour late when you come alone so I told you to get here by 5 so you'll arrive at 5:30."

Natsu gaped. "You trust me that little?!"

"I didn't know you'll be on time! I didn't even know it was possible for you to be on time…" then she smiled guiltily. "Besides, there's practice this afternoon, right? Erza let you leave early?"

It was his turn to avoid her look this time. "Actually, about that..." he started, scratching his head. "Something's… up."

"What is it?" Lisanna asked worriedly, recognizing her best friend's tone of voice.

"Eh, let's talk 'bout it on the way." he said, starting to walk by the sidewalk.

His companion fell into step beside him instantly as they both walked towards the general direction of the grocery store. "Alright, what happened at home?"

"Err, Gray and Erza had a row." he started.

"I thought that was Gray and Cana last night."

"Yeah. Well today t'was Gray and Erza."

"What's up with Gray?"

"Look, he's upset with the whole fired-from-the-job thing. I mean, he just quit the beach stand gig and then he gets fired from his stable job. I get it." he said, looking down. Absently, he took Lisanna's duffel bag from her and slung it on his shoulder. "And yeah, he was right - I noticed it too. Erza was kinda out of it. She kept missing some steps and won't decide which of the choreo to keep in or to ditch. But 'ya know, Frosty coulda said it nicer. So Erza snapped at 'im when he told her she should get 'er head in the game. And 'cause he's already pretty crabby, he snapped back."

"So… something really was up with Erza and she just didn't like Gray pointing it out?" Lisanna asked, frowning.

"Yeah. Pretty much. S'just me, Gray, Erza and Levy practicin' a while ago. But Erza left and Gray holed 'imself up in his room. I can't do anythin' with just Levy. So… yeah I just hung 'round for a few before I went out. Didn't want to be there while Ice Queen freezes the whole house."

"And Levy?"

"I think she went out too."

Lisanna fell silent for a while. Arguments weren't new in the Guild. Hell, it's not home when no one's trying to throw furniture at someone. But those were petty fights most of the time. The kind of shallow arguments between siblings or friends. Usually they can all shrug it off like it was nothing and work together again. For something to drive several of them against the wall all at once, to the point that they couldn't bear staying in the house? It must be something serious…

Lisanna sighed. They'd been making considerable progress so far… they had a concept to work on, a song, they've got a plan, and still the choreo and dance itself was stuck.

"Okay, I can say Gray is really just having a tough time right now. I mean, he got fired doin' the right thing. But what about Erza? What do you think's wrong with her? Did she look upset?"

Natsu thought about it for a while. "She looked… tired? Like she's giving up or something. Which is crazy, 'cause this is ERZA. She just hafta listen to any song and she comes up with something badass! I dunno what her deal is? She won't talk about it either."

Lisanna tried to think about what could Erza possibly be going through. Maybe she had a fight with Jellal? Loss of inspiration? Lisanna looked at her companion and was met with another concern.

"How 'bout you?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"How're you feeling? Are you mad at Gray too?"

"Nah, no. Not mad at Erza either. I think they just took it out on each other. Y'know, wrong words, wrong place, wrong time?" Natsu shook his head. "I feel… I dunno… I'm tired too, I guess." he shrugged. "A bit."

"Why?"

"I can't talk to Gray. Or Erza. Or Cana. I talk to one of 'em, it looks like I'm taking sides."

"You know that's not true."

"And even if I did, all I'm gonna say is that they should make up with the others. I'm not even gonna ask them what it's about… 'Cause those three? They only talk when they wanna. Not even to me - to each other! They're thick like that." he groaned. "I think maybe we should just tell Mira and Laxus early as now so they can knock some sense into 'em."

"How about giving them a little more time?"

"We don't have time, y'know that. We're hardly even finished with the whole choreo. We're not even halfway."

Lisanna sighed, understanding that well. "It's just… Erza keeps changing a lot of stuff-"

"Told 'ya she's out of it lately."

"And… and Gray's the one she really consults with because the pop-lock stuff's the ones that need more attention in the choreo."

"And now no consulting's happening."

They fell silent. Natsu and Lisanna weren't usually the peacemakers of their bunch. That job was usually up to Mira or Levy or Erza… They're not used to handling situations like this. Not to mention Natsu was still having trouble exchanging schedules or shifts with his co-workers, while Lisanna had her recitals and school stuff to keep up with… Both Natsu's job and Lisanna's schoolwork took a lot of energy, and they still have to go back home and rehearse their routines with the others.

It was tough, but they knew that the pay-off would be worth it. But with their progress right now? It was hard to imagine they'll get in.

"Screw this."

Natsu paused, because he rarely heard Lisanna say those two words. He looked at her. "Uhhh… dude, what?"

She tugged on her bag which he was carrying and he held it out for her as she rummaged for something in the pocket. Lisanna took out a folded piece of paper and began scanning the contents.

"What's that?"

"Our shopping list."

"Okay, why're you glaring at it?"

"There's probably nothing here that's for dinner tonight."

"Yeah, Mira said she'll give us 'nother list tomorrow 'cause she's still computing some stuff. That's probably for breakfast and lunch tomorrow-"

"Then we can do this later. It's still early."

Natsu blinked, now really confused. "Why, what're we gonna do now?"

Lisanna looked at him with an expression so serious it terrified him. "We're gonna relieve stress."

He gaped. "Seriously?!"

"Yeah!" she nodded, tucking their grocery list back in the bag, zipping it up and quickly shoving it back to him. She started jogging. "C'mon, just a few rounds! You know you wanna!"

"If I can't stand later, I'm blaming you!" Natsu said, fumbling with her bag as he followed her.

* * *

Much like Natsu, Levy left for pretty much the same reason. There was no practice, she had finished her writing jobs early, and she didn't like the tension in the house. So she got into her white blouse, torn shorts and tap shoes, wore Jet's old faded jean jacket on top of it, grabbed her lightest tap board, orange fedora hat and necessities, and then set off.

She wanted to invite Jet and Droy - maybe they'd want to join her - but she knew that they were still at work. They'd be tired after that, so she simply sent a message telling them that she was going to dance for a bit outside. Just so they knew what she was up to.

She walked around the safer part of downtown for a while, finding good spots. There were too many strict rules and regulations in the uptown area of the city and she tried to stay out of trouble.

Finally she reached one of the more common spots for street performers. It was this long stretch of sidewalk by a tall, wide wall which over the years had been filled with graffiti. She can still recognize Bixlow's piece on one corner - a symbol of sorts, it looked like some kind of bird but with a long tail? What was amazing about it was that instead of the shape being a silhouette filled with one color, it was filled with a vibrant galaxy pattern. She didn't know how Bix did it, but it has been there ever since they were teens, and no one had painted over it since.

Anyways, that spot was a staple for the street performers of the city because it was a common route for all sorts of people making their way across the neighborhood. In short, performers have more potential audience.

That day the area was mostly empty of performers. There were only two. There was a woman playing as a human statue standing on some crates. She was dressed as a flower seller and had paper flowers to give to people who would drop coins on her hat. A few meters away, there was a guy playing drums made of buckets and tin cans.

Levy smiled as she passed by the human statue. Levy dropped a coin in the lady's hat. All of a sudden the statue suddenly turned towards her and with a graceful sweep of a white-painted arm, took a paper flower from the basket and handed it to the bluenette before returning easily to her previous frozen position.

Levy accepted the flower with a smile of her own and then went on to find a spot on a considerable distance from the drum player. She didn't want the guy's beats to distract her, and she didn't want her tapping to redirect attention from him to her either. Contrary to popular belief, street performers weren't always up for stealing each other's audience.

As soon as she found a good spot, Levy laid down her tap board on the ground and placed her upturned orange hat in front of it. She grabbed a small rock nearby and placed it inside the hat just to keep it in place. Then, she put her hair up in a ponytail and started stretching. As she stood on the tap board and did some experimental taps with her feet, she tucked the paper flower safely in her jacket's pocket - the red was a nice accent to her get-up.

She looked around then. Some people were walking along the sidewalk in the usual pace. The statue lady had occassional passers by dropping her coins. The drum guy has a crowd of around three or four teenagers watching him curiously while others just passed by.

It was time to give these people something to stop them in their steps, Levy decided.

She breathed deeply, made sure that her other things were secured safely in her jacket and shorts' pockets, and then started to whistle a random but consistent tune while tapping her foot. After a bit, she started to mix rhythmic clapping with that.

When people started to look at her as they walked, she then broke into an impressive set of tap steps. Levy didn't call or invite an audience over, she knew that they'd come closer if they really wanted to see more. Instantly, a bunch of people crowded over to watch her curiously. Levy did a quick estimate… about fifteen people in a half circle in front of her? That was enough - she did a high jump and clicked her heels together. As soon as she landed, she did one of her favorite routines with Jet and Droy. It was their go-to performance piece. It never failed them, and it surely didn't fail her this time. She received some appreciative cheers, whistles and applause from her small crowd.

When she finished the routine, she smiled and bowed, loudly expressing her thanks as most of her audience threw coins, candies, and even some bills in her hat.

As the people started to walk off again, she thanked them once more and also asked them if they would please spare a moment to admire the great human statue of the flower girl and the badass percussionist just along the lane. Nothing wrong with giving them a shout out, she thought.

Levy took a few minutes to rest. She tucked the bills and coins neatly in the hat so nothing will get blown away by the wind. Then, when there was a new set of people walking along the sidewalk, she began the whistle-tap-and-clap routine again, starting to gather her second crowd.

It was the start of rush hour, so gathering the second crowd was more difficult because people who normally would have stopped to watch were rushing to get someplace else. Still, she managed to get a decent number of people watching.

Levy might enjoy dancing hip-hop, but tap was still her first love, and performing like this, even to a small crowd, always made her feel better. Each step, brush, stomp, jump and riff made her forget her problems even for a while.

She was enjoying another one of her usual routines, but then she stopped when a large figure stepped in her line of sight, and she heard a voice slightly familiar to her.

 _"Oi, hands off the hat, you bastard!"_

It took Levy a few seconds to figure out what was happening. She looked up at Gajeel standing right in front of her, then she saw what - or WHO - he was looking down on: a rugged-looking man, crouched down half-hidden among the crowd, hands extended, already touching the orange fedora hat that carried all of Levy's earnings for that afternoon. The people around them were whispering, some were walking away cautiously.

The thief just froze there - probably terrified of the sudden appearance of the tall, menacing, angry guy with a ton of piercings in his face. Gajeel just grunted and then kicked the man's hands away just as Levy herself crouched down and grabbed the hat back to safety.

She didn't know what to say or do. It wasn't her first time having someone try to steal her hat, but the other times, she always stood back as Jet and Droy dashed after the thief and caught the culprit before they could run off with the money.

Thankfully, it was Gajeel who stood in front of her and glared at the thief. "Leave, fucker. Or we drag you to the cops."

The man looked back trembling for a bit before immediately scrambling away from the crowd.

"You okay?" Gajeel asked Levy as she stepped up beside him.

Levy nodded quietly as she pressed the hat to her chest. "Thanks. I never would've caught him, I was busy-"

"I know. It's fine." he said quickly, shrugging. "But… I think that ruined your show."

They looked around. Levy's small audience were beginning to move on, some of them even warily checking their belongings, worried that the thief might have pickpocketed them while they were watching the dancing woman.

Levy sighed. "It's fine. I can just… start over." Then she looked up at her new companion. "Why are you here, by the way?"

He knocked on the guitar case on his back. "The shitty band I've been subbing for bailed out on a gig tonight. I already had late afternoon scheduled for that, I got nothin' to do now, so I thought I'd just play out here for a bit."

"Oh." she then smiled at him. "I didn't know you did that."

"Only sometimes. When I'm bored. Good pastime and practice. Might earn some extra coins, y'know." he replied nonchalantly.

Levy laid her hat safely back in front of her tap board before stepping up on it. Gajeel stepped to the side wordlessly. She looked around - it was obviously the rush hour now. People were hardly paying attention to any of the performers.

She shook that off. She's going home on a high note, she had decided - she didn't want to stop just because her hat was almost stolen.

She started to whistle, but it was drowned out in the crowd noise. Levy bit her lip, doubting her decision for a while before she was snapped out of her thoughts by the loud sound of guitar strumming.

She looked to her side, where Gajeel had set aside his now empty guitar case and was playing a very VERY familiar riff.

"Ten percent." he said.

Levy blinked. "What?"

"Look, people are stopping. My guitar's louder than your whistle or your tappin'." he continued, referring to the people who were slowing down their walks as they looked curiously at their duo. People must be recognizing the song, too. Not surprising, it was practically a classic, from a popular musical film. "I'll play for you, gimme ten percent of what you get."

Levy didn't know how, it must be instinct, but she has started clapping to the beat of the song that Gajeel was playing.

"Footloose?" she said, an amused smile on her face as she looked at him again. "Really?"

He shrugged, not stopping his strumming. "Everyone knows it. 'Sides, I figure you'll match it easily. It's tap-ready. If that's a word."

She just nodded, starting to tap her feet to the rhythm. He was still in the intro, purposely dragging it. "I'll give you twenty-five percent. Play louder!"

"Deal." Gajeel replied with a smug grin of his own, stepping forward and playing louder.

Levy was grateful that she knew the song by heart, like every other musical enthusiast. She clapped as she did simple exercise tap dance combinations. She smiled brightly as more people slowed down and started to gather around them again. They must be curious as to what the two had planned.

Well, surprise, Levy didn't know what their plan was either.

"Everyone who knows this song, sing with me?" she asked their audience, smiling brightly - she was a bit out of breath and also not the best singer, but if she could get them to sing with her, it would be a lot more fun. She sent Gajeel a nod and he got the signal, instantly shifting to play the first verse.

Levy started singing:

 _"Been working so hard, I'm punching my card..._  
 _Eight hours for what? Oh, tell me what I got!"_

By then, several people in the crowd had joined her in singing. Gajeel shook his head in amusement - he didn't expect Little Tapper Girl to make her audience sing.

 _"I've got this feeling… that times are holding me down!"_

Levy had stopped singing, just continued clapping to the beat as she moved on to more impressive steps. She didn't have to sing anyway, most people in the crowd had picked her up easily on that department.

 _"I'll hit the ceiling or else I'll tear up this town!"_

Levy giggled as she stopped for a beat. "Alright, you all know how this goes!"

As Gajeel strummed the chorus, even he couldn't help but sing along with the people in the crowd.

 _"Now I gotta cut loose, footloose! Kick off your Sunday shoes!_  
 _Please, Louise, pull me off of my knees!"_

Meanwhile, Levy busied herself with impressing everyone with her energetic, dynamic tap dancing to a lone guitar and strangers singing for her.

 _"Jack, get back, come on before we crack!_  
 _Lose your blues, everybody cut footloose!"_

As they returned to the verse, Levy's steps became a bit simpler. She wasn't entirely tapping now. She was mixing some simple funk and hip-hop moves to catch her breath. When Gajeel looked around, more people were joining in, eager to watch the guy loudly playing the guitar and the girl with quick feet. It was also very impressive how some of them have even taken up their phones and had looked up the lyrics. He guessed they do love singing along...

 _"You're playing so cool, obeying every rule._  
 _Deep way down in your heart, you're burning, yearning for some..."_

Levy stopped momentarily to catch her breath, but still looked dynamic moving, clapping and stomping her foot loudly to the beat as she sang with the people again.

 _"Somebody to tell you that life ain't passing you by..._  
 _I'm trying to tell you, it will if you don't even try!"_

And then it was time for the chorus again. Gajeel swore he would never know how the woman's energy reservoir worked. It only took her two lines to catch her breath and go back to her top-tier tap dancing.

 _"You can fly if you'd only cut loose, footloose!_  
 _Kick off your Sunday shoes!_  
 _Oo-wee, Marie, shake it, shake it for me!_  
 _Whoa, Milo, come on, come on let's go!_  
 _Lose your blues, everybody cut footloose!"_

Levy raised a hand, one finger up as she shouted breathlessly. "One more time!"

Gajeel didn't miss the signal - Levy wanted to skip the bridge, that was a good call. He repeated the chorus riff while she continued dancing. For this one, she mixed in some of the song's classic dance steps with her tap improv.

 _"I'm turning it loose, footloose! Kick off your Sunday shoes!_  
 _Please, Louise, pull me off of my knees!_  
 _Jack, get back, come on before we crack!_  
 _Lose your blues, everybody cut footloose!"_

This time it was Gajeel who decided to shift to the finale, noticing that his companion was already getting tired. Levy caught his cue quickly, leading the song again:

She spread her arms while she stomped. _"Everybody cut, everybody cut?"_

The crowd was quick to respond: _"Woooohhhh!"_

 _"Everybody cut, everybody cut?"_ this time, she mixed in some claps.

Again the replies came: _"Everybody!"_

Levy did an impressive jump, and twirled several times gracefully on her tap board as everyone sang the last line of the song.

 _"Everybody cut footloose!"_

As Gajeel finished off the riffs and Levy completed the routine, they were met with loud applause and coins, bills, little chocolates and candies in the orange hat. The two of them bowed together to their audience.

Levy thanked them all tremendously. And again, she referred the flower girl and drum guy to her audience as they went on with their walk.

She hopped off her tap board and held her hand up to Gajeel. "That was _awesome_! High-five!"

"Yeah, I guess. T'was fun." Gajeel smiled lightly and bumped his fist against her open palm. How was she still jumping up and down? She's like… a nuclear power plant or something. "You doing another round?"

"God no, I'm super tired now." Levy laughed, grabbing her hat. It was heavy. She would have to admit that she didn't expect to earn that much. Levy took off her jacket and wrapped the hat with it to keep it safe. Then she picked up her tap board.

Gajeel was also putting his guitar back in its case. "You going home now?" he asked as he slung the case on his back.

"We have to split the earnings first." she answered. "I told you I'd give you twenty-five percent, right?"

"Where d'you propose we count that stuff?"

Levy looked down for a bit before looking at her new companion again. Gajeel was not a bad guy. He was actually pretty chill and sensible. Also, he helped her out not just with the hat thief, but also to earn some money. She wanted to talk to him some more.

So she checked for the time in her phone before looking up at him again. "Wanna go grab dinner? I know this place nearby. Great food. Reasonable price."

Gajeel looked at her for a moment, mouth open.

But oh well, they're gonna count money, he's gonna have some of it, and Juvia told him that she was having dinner with her beloved Gray-sama anyway, so Gajeel just shrugged again and said, "Why not?"

Levy beamed.

He should tell her how disarming she was being. One of these days. Preferrably soon. Fine, ASAP. Maybe now.

But instead, all that came out from his mouth was "Lead the way, dancer."

* * *

Natsu was panting heavily, moving without stopping. To his side, Lisanna was just as breathless.

"Alright, firebutt! It's going faster, don't fall behind!" she shouted.

"Heh. No problem for me!" Natsu scoffed, "Try to keep up, uhh- errr- DAMMIT WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A NICKNAME?!"

Quite a crowd had gathered around the old, beat-up, but still working Dance Dance Revolution machine in the corner of the arcade. After all, it wasn't often that the arcade-goers used that machine anymore. Nowadays kids preferred that xBox dance thing, right? But then the two dancing didn't look like kids anyway… They seemed to be playing on the highest difficulty level AND acing it - no doubt 'veterans' at the game.

It says a lot that they even _switched places_ mid-song.

Also, when the song got to the chorus, they were singing along. LOUDLY.

 _"Ay, ay, ay, I'm your little butterfly!_  
 _Green, black and blue, make the colors in the sky!"_

Nevermind that they were both off key. They hit every step on point and it looks like they were going for a full combo.

 _"Ay, iyaiyai! Ay, iyaiyai! A-a-a iyaiyai, where's my samurai? Woo!"_

Everyone was silent when they finished the level. Both of them were standing still, panting, looking intently at the screen as they waited for their score.

When the numbers flashed on the screen, Lisanna jumped, fists in the air in victory. "I WIIIINNN! _AY, AY, AY, LISANNA KICKED YOUR BUTT~!_ "

" _Ay, ay, ay, you cheated!_ " Natsu complained.

"I didn't." she huffed. "You got distracted."

He pouted. "You said 'Look, there's Lucy!' OF COURSE I'LL GET DISTRACTED!"

"You should've done the same, then."

"Huuuhhh?" he asked, clueless. "What would I say? _Look, there's your boyfriend?_ Get a boyfriend first! You-… You traitorous Slytherin!"

"Hah. Typical Gryffindor." Lisanna rolled her eyes. "And we talked about this, I'm a Hufflepuff."

He made a grand gesture towards her general direction, to show his disagreement - "You're too evil for Hufflepuff!"

"Exactly. I worked real hard to achieve that." she said proudly, but inwardly regretting her decision to make him marathon the whole movie series with her.

That was when they noticed that their audience was actually giving them a round of applause. Finally, the two turned around and saw almost half of the arcade-goers clapping their hands and cheering. They just exchanged looks before holding hands and taking a bow.

Then Lisanna took her wristwatch out from her pocket and bit her lip. "Grocery store closes in thirty minutes."

"Aw, crap!" Natsu cursed, then quickly grabbed Lisanna's bag and slung it on his shoulder again. "Run for it!"

They ran for it. They barely made it on time but at least - Natsu decided - he was feeling much better. He was sure Lisanna was, too.

.

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end of ch. 7

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* * *

 **A/N:** I loved writing this part so much. Romeo and Wendy won't appear too often, but it'll be lots of fun when they do. And I enjoy writing anything with Levy taking Gajeel off guard by being the ray of sunshine that she is, so it's all better.

I think people who portray Lisanna as this angelic kindly young lady are missing out on the fact that she is still Mira's sister, she is everyone's childhood friend so she should be just as quirky as them, and one time she danced with Natsu, she basically turned him upside down so. Yeah.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- Do I even explain _Footloose_? Oh, but if any of you want to hear what an acoustic version sounds like, go look up the cover by The Ramdam'S.  
\- And if you think Natsu and Lisanna won't sing out loud while doing DDR, you are very wrong.

 **Next Chapter:** "I'm Not Your Hero"  
Erza and Mira talk heart-to-heart.


	8. I'm Not Your Hero

**A/N:** I think it's finally time we highlight Erza. Again, this chapter happens roughly at the same time as the past two chapters, so basically this is what Erza is up to while Gray and Juvia were bonding, Levy and Gajeel were singing, and Natsu and Lisanna went to break the DDR machine.

Won't keep you waiting long - it's pretty straightforward and shorter than the others.

Enjoy!

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 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 08:**  
 **I'm Not Your Hero _  
_** _("...but that doesn't mean_ _  
we're not one and the same.")_  
\- Tegan and Sara

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There were only two people in the studio that afternoon.

One was a young woman with pink hair in a neat high ponytail, wearing a dark red ballet leotard, pink tights and practice pointe shoes. She had just landed in a graceful plie as the music stopped. The other was a man with blue spiky hair, wearing a white shirt tucked into black tights. He was standing to the side, a spectator.

"How was it?" the young woman asked, panting as she relaxed her posture.

The man smiled. "It's brilliant, Meredy. Your closing act's a lot stronger this time around."

Meredy beamed as she skipped across the room. "Ya think so?" she asked, stopping by the window where she left her bag to retrieve her towel.

He nodded. "Ultear won't complain about that part now. But just to polish up, let's do a round or two more?"

"Sure thing!" she said, wiping herself with the towel. As she did this, she also threw the glass window open to let in some fresh air. She looked out the window and immediately spotted a familiar figure. "Hey, Jellybelly-"

"Meredy - we've talked about this, when we're in the-"

"-studio, I call you properly- I know, I know." she rolled her eyes. "But Jellyyy-"

He looked at her pointedly.

"Sir Mister Teacher Premier Danseur Noble Jellal Fernandez-Scarlet, Sir!" the girl declared haughtily.

"You know that nobody even uses half of those titles anymore." Jellal just sighed and shrugged, knowing he had no way to combat Meredy's sass anyway. "What is it?"

"Your bae's outside, Mister Scarlet Sir."

He raised an eyebrow and walked towards her. "What?"

When he looked out the window, he indeed saw his girlfriend standing outside on the sidewalk. They were on the third floor, so Erza was looking up at them as she leaned against a postbox. When she saw them, she took off her earphones, smiled and waved.

Jellal waved back, smiling uncertainly. Was she waiting for him? Did they have an appointment with each other today? He doesn't remember receiving any call or text from her. Actually, he was quite sure she told him she'll be busy during the next few days choreographing a dance video with the others on the Guild so he made a point not to disturb her too much.

"Come on up!" Meredy shouted, inviting the woman in. "It's just me and Jelly in here!"

But Erza just shook her head and stood up straight. "No, thanks! It's fine, just passing by!"

"You sure?" Jellal asked. He was uncomfortable with how loud he was speaking, but it was necessary so his voice could reach her. "Do you need me to come down there?"

"No, no!" Erza insisted. "I gotta get going, anyway!"

Not really the shouting type, he mouthed, "Where?"

"Mira's!" she answered, already walking away. The red-head waved at them. "Nice seeing you, Meredy! Good luck with the recital!"

"Thank you!" Meredy replied, waving back cheerfully. Both she and Jellal quietly watched as the red-head jogged down the path and disappeared around the street corner.

Jellal's gaze lingered there for a while, until Meredy snapped him out of his reverie. "Sooo… Another round?"

Jellal looked back at his student - she was more of a younger sister to him, really, but in the studio they used more technical terms. He nodded, watching her skip back towards the center of the room.

"I'm ready, Mister Scarlet Sir." Meredy chimed energetically, getting into first position.

Jellal simply shook his head and sighed, following her to turn the music on.

* * *

If the ballet studio was mostly empty, the ballroom studio several streets down had plenty of dancers when Erza arrived.

She stood to the side of the dance floor as she watched Mira preside the dance practice. It was a basic cha-cha routine, and dancing were six elderly couples along with Alzack and Bisca, who were doing their usual job as teaching assistants.

They were well off in the middle of the dance when Mira noticed her friend and housemate standing in the corner. She made a quick signal to Alzack and Bisca to continue dancing while she approached the red-head.

"You didn't have to stop for me." Erza said with an apologetic smile.

"It's fine. We're doing great time." Mira replied.

Erza cocked her head to indicate the dancing couples. "What's the routine for?"

"Oh, they're going to have this event soon, said they needed to present a special number. They thought it'll be nice to do a ballroom routine, so I'm coaching them." the other woman explained, smiling fondly at the couples. Then she looked at her friend. "What's up? It's been a while since you dropped by. No practice at home today?"

At that, Erza looked down, a sheepish smile on her face. "Well… yeah. Um, something's up…"

Watching the usually headstrong red-head trail off helplessly by the end of a sentence made Mira frown. She has known Erza long enough to know when something has gone amiss.

"Erza," she started. "What happened?"

But instead, Erza smiled at Mira and simply said, "You should go back. Finish the session."

"But-"

"I'll wait right here. I want to watch this, anyway. Taking a bit of a break."

Mira looked at the other woman in understanding. This was something Erza wanted to talk about in silence, without distractions. So she just nodded and said, "We'll be done in an hour." before returning to her lessons.

* * *

Erza helped Mira, Alzack and Bisca clean up in the studio after their customers had left. Mira didn't own the place, she was only one of the many instructors for the many dance styles that the studio offered. It was an old but established studio in the city. A nice place to work at.

Mira told Alzack and Bisca that they could go and head home, as she had some papers and stuff to sort out regarding her next sessions and schedules in the studio. Erza stayed behind so they could talk in private.

They sat down on the dance floor as Mira sorted her papers out and Erza retold her what happened that afternoon during practice.

"But is Gray right?" Mira asked, after patiently listening to the younger woman. "Were you really out of it?"

Erza sighed, running a hand through her hair. "No, he's wrong. My head's in the game. But… too much in the game. And focusing on the wrong parts of it. I think they all notice it. That I'm slipping. Gray's just the one who can't take it because he's already stressed enough. I feel bad for snapping at him when he's the only one honest enough to call me out."

"Just tell him you're sorry. I'm sure you two can talk it out. Just let things cool down tonight." Mira reassured.

Erza nodded quietly.

"But more importantly, what's troubling you? You said you're thinking too much about this?"

"Yes. I've been thinking a lot about it." The red-head looked down. "...and it's just… I don't think I'm the right person to lead this team."

"What? But Erza, you've always been the one leading-"

"I know. But Mira, it's just because I know almost every style." she reasoned out.

Mira looked at her. "Well, of course that's one of the factors..."

"See… Before Max even announced the contest, I've already been thinking a lot about… settling."

"Settling?" Mira blinked. "Settling down? With Jellal-kun?"

"No!" Erza immediately cut her friend off. "No, no, God, Mira- I mean, not that I wouldn't be happy but-… not yet. I'm pretty sure Alzack and Bisca would be the first of us." she chuckled.

"Oh." Mira laughed softly. "Sorry. So… what's this talk about settling? You're gonna...?"

"Settle." The red-head closed her eyes and breathed deeply before she her companion's eyes. "Like you. Get a… job in one studio, focus on a specific style. Like you did."

Mira's brows furrowed, trying to understand what her friend was trying to convey. Erza wanted to do things… like her? As a teenager, Mira used to be a teaching assistant to one of the older instructors in the studio. Even though she was self-taught, she managed to work her way up and establish a decent name for herself. She was one of the best amateur ballroom instructors in town. As much as everyone who had seen her knew that she was definitely professional level, she had busied herself with staying in the local scene. She knew she could look after her younger siblings and the others in the Guild that way.

Yes, she settled on a single job, under a single employer. That was because she knew it was the safe route. She couldn't risk looking in a different direction because she had to support Elfman and Lisanna.

But Erza's situation was different, Mira knew. So she asked, "Why do you think you need to do that?"

"Look, I… I know a lot: hip-hop, contemporary, ballroom, a bit of broadway and jazz, basic tap..." Erza ran a hand through her hair again. "You know… Jack of all trades, master of none? And I was thinking, how long will I keep switching studios and styles? I don't know if I can settle on one, but I should, right? I never worked full-time anywhere… but I can't part-time forever."

"So… you felt like you should choose one style and stick with it?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about it for a while now. Everyone… they dance, but they have their day jobs. And me, I dance. That's it. And maybe it's more than what I could ask for - I've got it lucky, I know - because I'm making a living just dancing and I don't need another job. But lately, moving between different studios, I can't help but feel like I don't belong anywhere." she sighed. "Maybe I could even come back here. I had nothing but good times working here."

Erza smiled, remembering some memories, working with Mira. She learned her ballroom from assisting Mira in this very same studio before she moved on and then Alzack and Bisca came along. She learned her hip-hop from the streets with Gray and Natsu. Tap basics from Cana. Contemporary, broadway and jazz from a quick self-study, a bootcamp of sorts for herself, using just videos and some performances for her reference. She had no specific style. She liked switching things up.

"Lately I've been feeling like… I'm adrift or something. Like I'm going nowhere. It's okay, most days… I've got lots of studios that always call on me if they need me to teach something there, but I never last too long in just one style, I have to switch so often because I don't like being constricted too much."

"Erza," Mira started, a frown on her face. "You've been feeling like this for a while now?"

"Months, really." she laughed uneasily. "I love dancing, but it's just that the switching things… it also makes me feel so aimless."

"You're not aimless, sweetie. And if you ask me, the way you switch styles just makes you really versatile and that just means you're… free."

"Yes, I'm free. And versatile. But what if that's the reason why we never win, Mira?" and when Mira blinked in confusion, Erza just continued. "Those things I can do? I'm not the best at any of them. Natsu can breakdance better than anyone on the team, Gray's our finest hip-hop guy, you're the best in ballroom. But you guys always want me to lead just because I have all sorts of experience, because dancing is my job. What if that's where we fail at?"

"Erza, you've always been-"

"No, Mira. Everyone trusts me to make us a winning piece because they expect me to be good at everything, but I'm not. Honestly, they might not be dancing for a living, but their jobs are more stable than mine. I'm a drifter. I've been thinking about this, and I realize I can't just keep on doing this, and I was distracted but all of you put me in charge. Like always. But all those times… All those other dance contests we joined where I led the team? We _never_ won. We land places but we weren't the best. What if that's because I'm _not_ the best leader for us?"

Mira looked at her friend. Erza has always been their confident but humble general choreographer, and Mira was sure that no one ever complained about how the red-head did things. She didn't know that even Erza had doubts. She always thought that Erza was great, switching her jobs like it's no big deal and excelling at each one. She thought it's because Erza was always open to trying new things, she didn't expect that it was because her friend was feeling tired of doing the same things.

"Maybe Gray should do it this time? He's the best dancer we have for this kind of-"

"Erza." Mira cut her off this time. "Gray and Natsu might be our best dancers, but _you_ are our best choreographer. And we need you for that, we don't need the best in the style - we need someone who cares enough about what we can all do and knows how to balance those out to come up with a routine that fits everyone. And that's you."

"You really think that?" Erza asked, having a hard time believing.

"Yes. And sweetheart, you should have told us what you're dealing with. You could have used someone to talk to about all this." the silver-haired woman said, reaching out to take her friend's hand. "You know we'd understand. That's what we're here for. If one of us falls short, everyone else supports them, remember?"

She stopped when her phone went off, and she bit her lip when she looked at the time. Mira sighed. "I have to finish these papers and bring them to the office downstairs. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to leave you for a while..."

Erza nodded quietly.

"Do you want to stay here?" Mira asked, standing up.

Erza looked around the empty studio for a while, her gaze stopping at her reflection in the mirror. She smiled up at Mira. "Will you be gone long? I was hoping to borrow the room for a bit, get some dances out to clear my head. I just… didn't feel like doing it at home-"

"Sure thing." the older woman didn't even let her finish. She just agreed fully. If that was what it would take for Erza to feel better, to be comfortable in her skin again... "I have to talk to my boss anyway. 1 hour, tops. You know this floor as much as I do. Feel free to use it 'till I get back."

"Thanks, Mira."

Mirajane picked up her papers and with one last smile for her friend, left the room.

Erza sat down in the middle of the dance floor for a while, just staring at her reflection in the mirror. It's been a long, stressful day - and she wasn't used to escaping to the studio. She wasn't used to fighting with the others - she was usually the peacekeeper. But everytime this happened, she just went out somewhere and danced. It always made her feel better.

Yet there she was, drawing a blank on what to dance. She just sighed and plugged in her earphones again, tapping the play button in her phone without really looking at it. She knew her playlist was on shuffle, so she let it just pick a random song.

When it played, Erza found herself smiling bitterly. Her phone was messing with her.

 _((Standing where I am now, standing up at all..._  
 _I was used to feeling like I was never gonna see myself at the finish line.))_

She hugged her knees to her chest and let herself drown in the music for a while.

 _((Hanging on to parts of me, hanging on at all..._  
 _I was used to seeing no future in my sight line.))_

She was grasping at straws on their contest entry routine too. She was supposed to make hip-hop work, with the usual team. She knows her friends can all pull it off. They were all great dancers and had their own brand of charisma. It was just with all her distracted thinking about future plans and stuff… Erza was finding it real hard to make up a routine fitting for everyone.

 _((Sometimes it feels like they wanna remind me,_  
 _send all those villains after me.))_

Not to mention, it's been a while since they all danced together for a contest. A year, really. They still danced together sometimes. Whenever she came up with a nice little routine, most of them all go for it. Maybe even take a video and upload it somewhere. Erza's connections from her different jobs like them. But the others… mostly they were too busy with their day jobs, dancing on their own space as much as they could.

Maybe that was the problem. Erza lost touch with them a bit. She was busy juggling different dance gigs, she couldn't balance what to have them all dance because she didn't quite know they each moved individually now.

 _((I'm not their hero, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't brave._  
 _I never walked the party line, doesn't mean that I was never afraid.))_

Whenever she gave them choreography, they usually followed her instructions because it fit everyone… but she never really saw them lately dancing on their own without her given steps.

 _((I'm not your hero but that doesn't mean we're not one and the same.))_

Was that what Mira was telling her about? Balance? They relied on her to know them well enough to balance their strengths out? But those easy dancing sessions they used to have… where all of them just joined in and danced carelessly on their own style to show the others… those rarely ever happened these days anymore. Erza wondered if the others have realized that yet...

She breathed out, trying to get herself together. There was still the rest of the song, and she wanted to clear her head by dancing something, right? This song was what she had been given. She just had to work with it.

She stood up then, kicked off her shoes and removed her socks. Erza slipped her earphones off and set her phone down nearby, hurriedly putting it on max volume. She let the second verse pass, and listened carefully to the chorus. If she can come up with something quick enough, she can make it to the bridge.

So Erza just surrendered to instinct and started moving. She didn't even decide what to do. Hip-hop? Contemporary? Her first moves somehow came out as some jazz funk steps.

 _((Sometimes it feels like the side that I'm on_  
 _Plays the toughest hand, holds the longest stand.))_

She did some dynamic arm extensions and leg movements in the center of the room, but she knew that the song was too loud for that - so she switched to another style, going for a high leap, followed by some pirouettes when she landed.

 _((Sometimes it feels like I'm all that they've got_  
 _It's so hard to know I'm not what they want.))_

She moved around the room in a series of flips, turns, quick floor work and jumps - maybe she was treating it as an exercise. It's been long since she had to do really complicated contemporary steps.

 _((Sometimes it feels like the side that I'm on_  
 _Plays the toughest hand, holds the longest stand._  
 _Sometimes it feels like I'm all that they've got._  
 _It's so hard to know I'm not what they want.))_

She mixed in some funk movements to catch her breath from the jumping and turning, but didn't let it get too boring. She just kept moving, then came up with quick lyrical hip-hop steps for the last chorus.

 _((I'm not their hero, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't brave._  
 _I never walked the party line, doesn't mean that I was never afraid.))_

It must look weird, putting some contemporary extensions and pirouettes in between the quick pop-and-lock steps. She shook that off, shoved it to the back of her head. She was improvising, and nobody was looking anyway.

 _((I'm not your hero but that doesn't mean we're not one and the same._  
 _I do my best to walk the finest line 'till I've had all that I can take.))_

For good measure, Erza just danced contemporary for the rest of the song, sneaking in just little jazz in some beats. She did several pirouettes as the song's outro faded.

She panted as she finally stopped, ignoring the next track that was now playing from her phone. It was one hell of a dance. She didn't even remember how half of it went. All she knew was that she must have crammed everything she knew into that routine out of frustration.

But what the hell, she felt a lot better. There's still the matter of the routine, making up with Gray, settling on one style… but now her head was clearer and she was already starting to sort her priorities out again. She can put some of the personal stuff behind her for a bit. She had to focus on getting the team in order. They were counting on her-

Then a familiar voice - and not Mira's - cut through her thoughts.

"If that's what you're using for the contest, you're going to win."

She whirled around to see an unexpected guest standing by the doorway of the studio, leaning against the wall calmly. The blue-haired man wore casual clothes now, his bag slung across his shoulders and his hands on his pockets.

"Jellal." Erza blinked, running a hand through her hair. "Um… hey?"

"Hey yourself." he smiled as he walked towards her.

She met him halfway, maybe still a bit dazed from dancing because the next thing she knew, he had placed a hand on her waist and dropped a kiss on her forehead. That snapped her out of it, and she drew back. "Wait, I'm all sweaty! Seriously!"

He laughed. "I don't mind." He leaned down to give her another, but she dodged.

"I do." she rolled her eyes, but let out an amused chuckle, pushing him gently off her so she can grab a towel from her bag. On her way, she also picked up her phone to turn the music off. He followed her, sitting on a nearby chair as she wiped some sweat from her neck and forehead. "What are you doing here?"

"You told me earlier you'll be here. I thought I'd drop by and see if I could catch you. I met Mira downstairs, she said I could come up here." he answered. "What about you? Was that the routine you're working on for the contest?"

"No, the contest is for street dance. That..." she paused for a bit, thinking. "That was an improvised, frustrated mess."

He raised an eyebrow. "It's pretty impressive for a mess."

"You think?" she asked, obviously skeptical.

Jellal nodded. "I can see it was indeed improvised and frustrated. But you never stumbled or missed a beat and everything transitioned smoothly. I'd say it looked like an experimental mashup of styles, really. Could use a bit of polishing, but it's great."

She turned towards him this time as she put her hair up in a ponytail. "Why do you say it so much better?"

He shrugged. "Dance instructor here. Mastered the art of coming up with critique."

She pouted at him and reached out to poke his nose quickly before going back to making herself presentable again. "Well… now you've found me. What's next?"

He looked straight at her, expression soft. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever it is that's got you dancing an improvised, frustrated, albeit impressive mess."

Erza didn't answer that as she finished tucking her towel, brush and phone back in her bag. Jellal waited patiently until she was done, and even after that as she just fell silent, thinking.

Mira was right, their friends counted on her not necessarily to choreograph a winning piece, but just to come up with something they can all dance to their hearts' content. She needed their help for that - she had to know what they all can do now. And Erza knew that keeping it all in wasn't the right way to deal with that. Mira said so too. Erza should have told the others, or someone at least. She knew that she only had to ask, and they've always got her back.

Erza didn't even know how she could forget that. She faced her new companion then, somehow managing to let out a relieved expression on her features. "I think… I'm feeling better now."

"Really?" Jellal blinked.

She nodded, reaching out a hand. He caught it and tugged her gently towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to press her forehead against his. "Really. I talked it out with Mira, and she's right as always. Plus, you're here."

"I'm here?"

"Everything's better when you're around."

He smiled, pulling her closer.

"And I'm hungry." she added.

"You would be, after dancing like that." he chuckled. "Dinner? Or do you have to be home early tonight?"

She placed a short, sweet kiss on his lips before standing up straight again and giving him an answer.

"Dinner would be great."

.

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end of ch. 8

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* * *

 **A/N:** I know the story is going a bit slow right now, but hey, Erza's fine now, we're moving on next week!

Mister Jellal Fernandez-Scarlet Sir's leotard is made of waifu material. Meredy checked. Erza confirmed as well. **  
**

Also - Ultear is a prima ballerina, if you should know. I mean I can't imagine her as anything else, really.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- My inspiration for Erza's really experimental and athletic dancing style is SYTYCD's Mollee Gray. Watch her solos because maaaan look at that girl do her flips yo she can kill people with those lines. So. Erza.

 **Next Chapter:** "Ready for the Weekend"  
AKA Everyone finally gets their shit together to win this thing.


	9. Ready for the Weekend

**A/N:** Happy New Year! The first week of the year got really busy, and there were a lot of stuff to do so this came late. :P

Writing this part was tricky! But really fun! My dad's a DJ and one of my childhood friends is an aspiring film director so I asked them a bit about how things get done!

There might be some technical shenanigans, but I think most people would get them. But mostly, it's just Fairy Tail being badass and mighty creative, making stuff together.

Enjoy!

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 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 09:**  
 _("Grab somebody, go live it up,_  
 _Yeah baby come on!_  
 _Get ready ready-")_  
 **Ready For the Weekend  
** \- Icona Pop

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Erza was on her way downstairs for breakfast when she stopped by the fourth floor because she heard two very familiar voices on a shouting match. Erza just stared as Cana walked away from Gray and towards the staircase.

 _"I'M NOT GONNA START A GODDAMN TAB, FULLBUSTER! YOU DO IT!"_

 _"GOD, FINE! I KNOW YOU SUCK AT MATH ANYWAY!"_

 _"WOW, OKAY, YOU'RE WELCOME!"_

Cana disappeared downstairs, and Gray just grumbled a few more curses under his breath before he noticed Erza watching.

He quickly looked down. "Um. Yo. Morning."

"Good morning." Erza replied awkwardly. "You and Cana still fighting?"

"Ah, no." he replied, surprisingly brightly. "We're good, actually. We talked it out."

"You were shouting."

"We're always shouting."

"It kinda sounded like a fight."

"Well… we were arguing." he considered. "But we're not fighting."

Erza couldn't help but chuckle softly. Of course. Gray and Cana's friendship has always worked in mysterious ways.

They just stood there, uneasily still, waiting for someone to bring up the conversation they both knew they should get over with.

After a few moments, Gray finally looked at her directly, the expression on his face turning sheepish. "Uh, listen… Yesterday, I-"

"Sorry." she said, beating him to it. "You were right to call me out. I was the leader, and I was distracted. That's never good for the team. Sorry for snapping at you."

"Still, I shouldn't have been such a jerk about it." he replied. "So… sorry for that too."

"It's fine." Erza replied, finally smiling at him.

Gray smiled back lightly. "So… we're good now, yeah?"

She nodded. "Yep. We're good."

"Alright." he said, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Well. I'm gonna go get breakfast, I think we have to catch up on a lot of stuff today."

She simply nodded, and they made a point of walking to the dining table together to let everyone know that things had been patched up.

Only Cana, Levy, Jet and Droy were there so far. Behind them, Max and Warren were busy cooking and serving breakfast. It was their turn that day. As Gray and Erza took their respective seats, Gray was grateful that the topic of conversation was not him. Maybe they've all moved on from bullying him into dating a girl he just met.

Well, Juvia was nice, and she was a great dancer and- Crap, she texted him 'Good morning' and he hasn't replied yet! How rude was that, right? He quickly took out his phone and started tapping, tuning off the conversations around him as background noise until…

 _"So was it a date?"_ Jet asked Levy. Gray looked up to see both Jet and Droy sporting very concerned expressions on either side of their best friend.

"What? No! It wasn't a date." Levy said, laughing.

"What's this about, again?" Gray asked, feeling like he missed something big.

Turns out he actually did.

"Your girl Juvia's friend, he was with Levy yesterday." Jet answered. "Haven't met him, but Levy says he's cool."

"He's… uh… yeah, he's cool, I guess?" Gray shrugged.

"Dude's face scares small children." Max provided helpfully.

"Max, that's rude!" Levy said, but laughed a bit. She turned towards Gray. "I was out on the streets yesterday. Going solo. Someone almost stole my hat but Gajeel swooped in and saved it."

"Yeah, okay? What's the big deal?" Gray asked.

"They had some kind of straight-out-of-a-corny-movie musical number right there." Cana provided, trying not too laugh.

"Why, what happened?"

Levy just rolled her eyes. "Well, he volunteered to play his guitar to accompany me, he was planning to play that night anyway. So he played guitar while I danced. That's it."

"You said you made your audience sing." Droy said.

"Oh. Yep! We all sang. It was fun!" Levy cheered.

"Wow, okay." Gray leaned back on his chair, raising an eyebrow. "So why's everyone askin' 'bout a date, then?"

"I don't know. Honestly." she frowned at her best friends. Jet and Droy both shrugged. "It's just that after performing, because I have to give him a percentage of what we earned, I asked him if he wants to grab some dinner with me, count the money while at it. That's it! Does it look like a date that much?"

She looked at her housemates and just gaped when they all nodded.

She thought about it now. It didn't look like Gajeel thought it was a date! Well, yeah when she asked him, he did stop in surprise and looked at her weirdly, but then he just nodded and agreed with her. She thought that was nice of him to agree. She's not sure if they were already 'friends' by that time, but they went to the restaurant together, took a table for two and enjoyed a really great conversation-

"Oh." Levy said, realization dawning on her face. "Yeah. Oh, wow. It does sounds like a date, huh."

Then after the realization, her expression shifted into horror.

"Do you guys think he thought I was asking him out?" she asked, blushing furiously.

The answer was a mixed bag of _'Yes?'_ , _'No?'_ and _'Maybe?'_ \- all actually ending with question marks because they weren't even sure.

But before things could get really interesting, they stopped talking because Laxus had joined them.

The blonde hasn't even sat down yet and he already declared, "Mira told me we're stuck."

Everyone fell silent. Freed and Bixlow also joined in, sitting with them. Natsu and Lucy followed closely behind. Natsu was about to greet them all in his usual jolly manner, but Lucy stopped him quickly, seeing that everyone else had serious expressions on their faces.

Laxus looked at them shortly before continuing, "Someone tell me we're not."

It took only a second, and the answer came from Gray and Erza in unison: "We're not."

The two of them looked at each other in surprise, while the others looked on in concern.

"We've got it covered." Erza said. "I have a concept now, more solid than the first, and it's a good one - I'll need to consult with you guys to pull it off, because I think it's pretty technical. We'll still be using the same song, and I picked another one to mash up with it. You can start remixing. Gray's helping me with choreography. We both have a lot of free time, I'm sure we can finish a great deal by the time the rest of the group goes home after work today. We can show them what we've got and start rehearsing."

Gray didn't miss a beat on backing her up. "She's right. I can work on this full-time. You've got two choreographers now, we'll make it."

"And I can help too." Levy added. "I've finished most of my work early. I don't have to worry about deadlines for a week or two."

"A question." Freed spoke up. "We've only got less than two weeks left for this. You said it's pretty technical… How technical, exactly? Because if it would take a lot of time to edit the video after shooting it, you have to consider that Bixlow's schedule is not fixed. The editing part might get passed between Bix and Laxus and… well, me, if it comes to that."

As he was speaking, they've been joined by the Strauss siblings and Evergreen, as well as Laki, Alzack and Bisca. Everyone was there already.

"Oh, it's not the editing that's technical… Uh…" Erza answered, earning curious looks. She caught Mira smiling at her and held the other woman's look for a second. Mira nodded encouragingly, and Erza took that as her cue to continue with more determination than before. "It's the shooting that would take time. Or more specifically, the planning on how to shoot the video. After that, there would be barely anything to edit. We won't need special effects or stuff like that."

"Alright, hold up." - that came from Bixlow. "Long prep time for the shoot? What's the catch?"

Erza glanced at everyone, catching their intrigued expressions, before she answered, "We're going to do a single-shot dance video."

The others exchanged looks. They've always done single-shot videos. That shouldn't be such a big deal…

Laxus was the first to really get that there was still another catch. He asked, "Where and when?"

"The Guild." she said simply. In her peripheral vision, she saw Gray looking at her with furrowed brows - he was probably catching up on her idea.

"The Guild." Laxus repeated. "And?"

She nodded. "We're going to dance our way from the bottom, to the top. And I'm hoping to catch the sunset by the time we reach it."

* * *

The house was mostly empty, everyone who had work had already gone out. They all mostly went out of their way to shift their schedules so they can all practice together in the evenings. Meanwhile, Laxus and Bixlow both opted for afternoon-to-evening schedules so they can work the technicalities out with Erza, Gray and Levy while they're not yet busy teaching the choreography to the others. It seemed the most efficient way to balance everything out.

That day, Erza, Gray and Levy stood with Laxus, Bixlow and Freed (who luckily had the day off) in Laxus' activity area, all of them busy planning the routine and the video. There was a large sheet of paper in the table. Gray had drawn a simple makeshift map of the building, only indicating the floors, the stairs and the doors.

"So. Single shot vid, starting from first floor to rooftop." Bixlow started. He and Laxus exchanged looks before he breathed deeply, concentrating. "That's gonna take some tricky camera work and on-point pacing."

Laxus nodded. "And that means whoever's workin' the camera has to climb the building bottom to top in 4 minutes max. Not to mention the work on the dancers…"

Gray and Levy shrugged helplessly, understanding the point.

"Think it's too complicated?" Erza asked, biting her lip.

"YEAH." Laxus and Bixlow said in unison.

"You'd hafta time it perfectly." Bixlow said, thoughtful.

Then Laxus shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest. "But shit, if we pull it off, it'll be one of the best routines we've ever done."

The three dancers looked at him expectantly.

The blonde grunted. "Whatever, let's hear it."

Erza smiled, then began explaining her plan to everyone, holding a marker to point out various areas in the map.

"We can start the routine out with someone walking towards the building. Of course the garage is the first stop. I was hoping we could use the cars parked in there for the routine too..."

Freed grabbed another sheet of paper and set it beside their map. He grabbed a pen for himself.

"Storyboard." he said as he quickly started drawing small rectangles side by side in neat rows. "So we can get a grip of how everything should look like."

Laxus also booted his laptop up, loading the song that they were working on, ready to play it for their reference.

Erza looked at Gray and Levy. "Tell me if you have any ideas." They nodded, and Erza turned back to the table again. "Alright, so, first shot..."

They spent the whole morning and until past lunch brainstorming.

* * *

When the others came home from work that afternoon, they managed to get the everyone in the dance floor for briefing. The storyboards that Erza, Gray and Levy showed them were messy, with lots of notes and annotations all in differently-colored pens, both from them and from Freed and Bixlow. They thought it would be tough to explain how it goes, but everyone mostly got it, just with some questions on the side. Everyone was quiet - the three took that as a good thing, that means they were focused on the task at hand.

"...and that's when we get to the rooftop, on a big dance break to finish it off. We'll use the sunset as background first, then turn the shot around to use it as lighting then. It should look really good, if we get the right timing. Then cut. End of video." Erza finished.

"Profit." Levy chimed in with a cheerful smile towards everyone. The others have been so quiet so far, she was starting to think that they didn't like what they were hearing.

The consensus was that is was really cool - but would be very, very tricky to pull off.

"But we're gonna do just that, right?" Erza asked.

And of course, it was Natsu who answered - "HELL YEAH, I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

That broke the ice, as the others similarly cheered, eager to start. Erza, Gray and Levy exchanged relieved looks. They'd rallied the team with them now. This is when the hard part really starts.

This is when they'd have to delegate parts.

"So, first up." Gray asked, stepping forward, "Who wants to be our lead? The one who'll start dancing from ground floor to rooftop?"

* * *

They set a deadline of six days to achieve everything. Six days to polish the performance, film the whole thing and post it on the internet. They wanted a seven-day period to spread the word and gather likes. No matter how good their entry turns out, they can't win enough votes if they don't give it enough time to do so.

Energies were running high in the Guild. It seems that having Gray, Erza and Levy working together full-time on something was some sort of dream team. No one knew why they never thought of it before but the three of them were actually easily their most innovative members.

 **Day 2: Morning.**

Erza went up to the sixth floor on a mission to pull Laxus early out of bed so they can work on finishing the music remix. (Hey, he told her to do that, to wake him up.) That would be a great leap because that means they'll be able to finish, polish and adjust the over-all choreography in the afternoon.

To her surprise, he was already up and about, earphones on, focused on the computer screen and DJ equipment in his table. He was only wearing loose cotton pants and drinking a mug of coffee as he listened to his mix. Freed was also in his usual place on the couch, a blanket on his shoulders, thick glasses on and hair messily tied up in a bun as he drank some tea and looked over his tons of scratch papers and coloring materials again. He was spinning a pencil on his hand.

They were obviously both straight out of bed.

"Hey, Erza." Freed greeted with a small smile.

"Good morning." she replied, walking towards them. To add to her surprise, Freed was not working on job-related fashion sketches like what she initially thought. She recognized a smaller copy of the rough storyboards they finished the day before, and some familiar colors and figures in the fashion sketches that the designer was making.

"What's that?" she asked, blinking.

"Oh, I was just thinking… well, our main song is 'Ready for the Weekend', and you said you'll be wearing some everyday working clothes for the number… I'm trying to find out a good fit for everyone so they can dance easily. Oh, and also this..." he set aside some of the clothes designs to pull up a paper with a rough sketch of what looks like one of the hallways in the house. "I was thinking, maybe we could add some things in the halls since they're all mostly plain? It'll add some color and it'll match the whole shoot better as a background."

Erza nodded, fully appreciating the extra work that the man was putting in their project. "Will we be able to make those outfits and get those props ready in time?"

"These designs are pretty simple, mostly everyday clothes - I'm sure we already have most of these on hand." Freed explained. "As for the backgrounds, they're pretty common objects too. They're no big deal."

"Great. You need anything, I'm sure Mira and the others are up for it." Erza said.

"Sure. I've already consulted her about this too."

"You don't have work today?"

"It's not really show season in the theatre district." Freed said. Erza knew that. That's why Cana and Lucy were busy with guestings and small concerts instead of live stage shows. "So the designers and other artists have some free time."

Erza smiled, then this time turned to Laxus. He hadn't done anything to acknowledge her presence, and his back was still turned to her. Maybe he didn't know that she was in the room. "How's the mix going?"

"He seems to likes it." Freed shrugged, but smiled back. "I haven't heard any form of cursing for a while. You should ask him, he needs your input anyway."

So the red-head went over to the DJ and gave him a light tap on the shoulder to get his attention. Laxus stopped working for a while, looked at her, and then took his headphones off.

He said, "You better dance the hell outta this one 'cause I'm actually happy 'bout it."

Erza chuckled. "Well, that's always good news. How long are we getting?"

"3 minutes, 30 to 40 seconds." he answered, then he configured his computer to redirect the audio to the speakers. When he pressed 'play', they fell silent to listen to the remix.

"I've only done like 70%, I should finish before I go leave for work. You should finish up your choreo to it and tell me if you need some parts changed. I'll see what I can do."

Erza only nodded quietly as she started listening. It was a mashup and remix of 3 songs by one artist. The songs weren't their usual affair, really - but they seemed great for the concept and had some amazing beats.

It was amazing, as usual. Laxus really had a good hand in this, and what Erza liked most about it was that he paced some slower parts obviously to give breathing room to the team. Also, in the parts she noted were for some stunts and breakdance moves, he added some extra effects and dynamics that would fit the steps better. He knew that genre well, after all.

"It's perfect." she concluded. Then, knowing what Laxus would say, she added: "So far."

He shrugged, stopping the music and starting to continue his work. "Well, go away now. Lemme finish my shit."

Erza knew that was code for: 'Let me focus on this so I'll have something to give you.' so she happily obliged.

.

 **Afternoon.** When Erza came back from her morning job in the fitness studio, she found Gray and Levy busy working on choreography. They didn't stop when they saw her come in, already too focused on dancing in tandem along with the mix that Laxus must have left with them before he went to work.

Erza was pleasantly surprised when they suddenly strayed from her original choreo. On that part, they were supposed to do a chorus, coordinated movements - but instead they suddenly switched formations, Gray sliding in front of Levy and getting down on one knee, both did a short pop-and-lock section full of precise, intricate hand and arm gestures - Gray's touch - then Levy used Gray's knee as leverage, a foothold as she then launched herself in a high, graceful backflip. Matching her pace, Gray did a quick six-step and as soon as Levy landed on her feet, he was also back up standing.

Erza gaped. She had never seen them do anything like that before. If there was someone who did fancy, dangerous flips, that would be Natsu and Lisanna. And for Levy to catch up perfectly with Gray in his genre… well, maybe they underestimated her versatility a little.

Levy and Gray looked at Erza, part in challenge and part in acknowledgement. Gray was panting as he said, "We're gonna make Natsu do that last part, t'was supposed to be an Air Flare but I'll probably kill myself if I tried that."

Erza didn't wait for the coming question. She threw her hands up in surrender, shaking her head and chuckling - "We're keeping it. You two are awesome."

Levy and Gray jumped up and shared a merry fistbump. Erza held her breath in exhiliration - she had a feeling that they were going to finish the full choreography for this routine today.

"So…" Erza started, placing her hands on her hip. "Let's take to the stairs?"

.

 **Evening.** No one asked how the three of them finished the choreo in one afternoon - the group went straight to learning their respective steps.

All they knew was that it looked totally awesome.

Nobody went to bed until midnight.

* * *

 **Day 3: Afternoon.** Levy followed Gray and Erza as they ran and emerged through the doors to the rooftop, carrying the portable speakers in her hands. The two did several impressive flips before continuing to dance the choreo - it was the last 40 seconds of the mix - and they were giving it all they got.

Levy doesn't know where they get their energy. They've danced from bottom to top of the building, just the two of them, with Levy holding the speakers and her phone as a camera as they tried to polish how their choreography would glue together with their shooting plans.

For the third time now.

But at last, the song was finished. The three of them dropped down on the floor at the same time, panting.

"I want a pole." Gray said, lying down on his back.

"A pole?" Erza asked.

"A pole. That goes from sixth to ground floor. So we won't have to climb the fucking stairs down again."

Levy laughed, while Erza shook her head in amusement.

"Or we can make it so our stairs can be slides. So we can slide down instead."

"Gray, you're losing it." Levy teased.

"We just had 3 round-trips all over the goddamn place! Of course I'm losing it!" he reasoned out. That was when the sound of a phone's message alert ringtone was heard and he blinked before saying, "Holy shit, I had my phone in my pocket?"

How did it survive? Thank God for small miracles.

He took it lazily to check the message while Erza also laid on the floor haphazardly and Levy stretched and then massaged her very tired legs.

"Great." he grunted, and when his two friends looked at him he had a bright smile on his face. "Juvia's asking if she can borrow practice space again. Today."

Erza and Levy looked at him. "You look happy." the red-head remarked.

"That's 'cause we'll have an excuse to freakin' call it a day and rest up. Let Juvia have the rooftop when she arrives. Y'know, save some energy for practice tonight with the others."

"Oh." Erza breathed out. "That's fair, I guess. Tell her to come over, she can have the roof 'till 8 or something."

.

 **Evening.** While everyone had nailed down their parts in the choreography, they were undoubtedly in the tricky part. Levy called it _'How to Dance and then Run to Avoid the Camera To Get To Your Next Scene 101'._

"You mean..." Natsu started, sitting on the floor in the middle of the dance floor. He was the one who would come in at the second floor in their video. "After doing like the five toughest break moves in history here, you want me to just stand up and run for my life to the fifth floor and wait 'till the camera catches up and then dance again?"

Erza, Gray and Levy nodded in unison. "Basically."

"That's crazy, man." the B-boy breathed out, then shrugged easily and grinned. "But hell, I'm game."

"They're insane." Lucy commented. She sat on one corner of the studio, watching them all practice.

Beside her was Juvia, who also watched intently. She had finished her practice session in the rooftop just earlier. Everyone was happy to give her some privacy while she did it, and she appreciated that very much. But this was all so new to her - group choreography and taping dance videos - so when they started, she finished up her practice and decided to watch them instead.

Erza just smirked at Natsu. "Okay, so after your part, the camera will then turn to… me. Right?"

"Yup." Levy said - she was the one holding the by-now-crumpled storyboards. "Camera pans to the stairs, you got a solo. Natsu's next position is the… stairs from 3rd to 4th."

"There, so while I'm dancing, you dash to get there." Erza continued.

"Where are you dancin' again? What side?" Natsu asked, and they all watched as Erza positioned herself by the steps, keeping to one side of the staircase, near the wall.

"Camera's gonna be here." Gray added, positioning himself to where the camera should be while Erza was dancing.

"Okay, just gotta keep to that other side then, right?" Natsu said. "So cam won't catch me?"

"Yeah." Gray nodded, then addressed the rest of the team. "That's basically how everyone will go."

There was a general noise of understanding from everyone else.

Erza then continued. "Okay, getting back on track. Camera will follow me up the stairs and then..."

"Third floor. So that's me, right?" Lisanna piped up.

"Mm-hm, with Max and Warren. While Erza would disappear for a while and come back on 5th." Levy answered. She looked at her friends then. "Let's go?"

"Right!" Lisanna exclaimed, cheerful as she grabbed both Max and Warren and dragged them to the next floor.

The other dancers followed, leaving Lucy and Juvia to trail after them more slowly.

Juvia turned towards the blonde. "It looks really complicated..."

Lucy chuckled. "It does."

"They have to finish this by the next three days?"

"They do." the blonde smiled at her companion. "But they're in their turf, and they're telling their story."

Juvia nodded, and watched curiously as Lucy looked forward, watching the backs of her friends walking ahead.

"If there's a group that can pull this off, it's them."

They caught up to the others just in time to see Natsu trip over something and land on his face while running up the next set of stairs. As the others screamed and asked if he was alright, all he shouted back to them was, "YEAH! PARKOUR!"

"That is," Lucy followed up, trying to stifle her laughter. "If they don't kill themselves first."

* * *

 **Day 4: Morning.** When Erza went up to the sixth floor, she was surprised to find Gray and Levy already there, helping Freed and Evergreen sort through a ton of clothes.

"Are those the costumes?" she asked.

Freed nodded. "Yep, everything looks good. Plus, Gray's got some ideas for the choreo for the guys wearing the suits. Also, update on the sets: we can start decorating the floors this afternoon while everyone's out. Ever's staying to help too."

"That's great." Erza said smiling lightly.

"Oh, and Elfman already got cleared for three days off starting tomorrow." Evergreen added. "You've got your cameraman."

"We'll owe Elf big time." Levy commented. "I mean, I don't know who else can manage that, run up the whole building keeping up with our pace while holding a camera steady."

Gray nodded at that. "We're gonna give him all the help we can give. Alzack's also up to assist him, and Mira and Bisca memorized the whole routine enough to direct everyone while we shoot."

"And the camera?" Erza asked, looking around for Laxus. He had told them not to worry about the equipment, that he'll get them the best he could get his hands on. Laxus and his friends have many acquaintances in the entertainment industry, and he also knew a lot of indie filmmakers whose equipment he could rent for a cheap price, or even let him borrow, free of charge, if they owed him something.

"He's still sleeping." Freed answered. "But good news, he found two cameras. He said they're really good ones - wireless with a live feed and all that. And we only have to pay for using one of them. He started to dig up some of our old lights last night too and he thinks they can do us good."

Erza breathed in, watching her friends continue to work. They've finished the blockings and the over-all plan last night. It was looking good, and everyone was eager to give it their all. That was great, she thought brightly. They've got a real fighting chance of having things go smoothly.

.

 **Afternoon.** When Juvia dropped by, she was met with activity in the third floor hallway.

Freed, Evergreen, Erza, Gray and Levy were busy decorating the hallways.

Gray, who was busy helping Levy stick wallpaper on the walls, greeted her quickly. "Hey, you're here. The rooftop's free right now, you can use it 'till practice starts tonight."

"Um… thanks…" Juvia blinked, approaching them as she asked, "Is this part of the preparation for the video?"

"Yup!" Levy answered. "It's supposed to fit the concept more. Freed thought about it, he's brilliant as always. And it's about time we do something about these plain ol' walls anyway. I mean, on a bad day, this looks just as bad as the outside of the building, right?"

Juvia nodded quietly, watching them continue the activity. She looked around to see the others who were either setting up some small hallway stuff - umbrella stands, frames, some stickers in the doors... "Can Juvia help with anything?"

They all looked back at her.

"But… you came to practice…" Gray said.

She shook her head. "Juvia will be honored to help everyone."

"You really shouldn't worry about-"

"Juvia wants to." she said, voice firm.

He looked at her for a moment, then turned towards Erza and shrugged.

The red-head only smiled and said, "Levy, let Juvia help Gray, let's get the next floor started. That should speed things up."

.

 **Evening.** Laxus came home while everyone was having dinner, he was carrying a large suitcase and he had a confident smirk on his face.

"You look happy." Mira remarked cheerfully. "Brought something home?"

"Camera one." he said, before setting the suitcase down and opening it to reveal a very expensive-looking professional video camera. "You guys can start test-filming tonight."

There were cheers around the dining table, and as Laxus sat with them, he sent Elfman an expectant look. "You up for a run, Elf?"

"Six floors and a rooftop in four minutes, it's on." Elfman smiled heartily and nodded, then he turned to Alzack. "Don't fall behind, man."

"I'll try my best to catch up." the raven-head replied with a smirk of his own. He was the backup, the one who would help Elfman maneuver everything to keep their single shot perfect.

* * *

 **Day 5: Morning** , and everyone was up eating breakfast, but quietly this time.

Yes, they stopped dancing around midnight the previous night, but it took a greater toll on everyone because they were already dancing the whole routine - and they kept repeating some parts to perfect the sequences for the camera - and for Elfman and Alzack to really get a grip on how to shoot the whole thing.

So everyone was still tired. It was only a day before the big day, but most of them still had to go to work. Some of them were only able to secure a day-off on the shooting day itself.

But the good news was that there were more people in the house, including Elfman and Alzack, and they can practice the routine all they want.

So the whole day was dedicated to perfecting the whole thing. If Levy, Gray and Erza ever thought that their team won't be game with the starting-from-the-bottom-and-dancing-to-the-top part, they quickly forgot about it. Everyone in the house were clearly willing to do round trips just so they can nail down their parts.

The best part in this was that now that everyone had a better bearing on how their choreography and routine would look, they were all approaching the three leaders and suggesting some tweaks and additions to their parts.

 _"I can do a higher flip."_ Lisanna had suggested, referring to the assisted backflip that Gray and Levy added to Erza's original choreography. Erza was surprised at first - when did the other girls get so good at stunts? It looked impressive when Lisanna demonstrated, so the red-head instantly gave her go-signal.

 _"D'you maybe want me to do this part faster? I can do that, no big."_ Natsu said, and Levy blinked because the part in the choreography was already fast. But yes, speeding it up matched the tempo better. She just didn't know that Natsu already had such a good hold on that move.

 _"We're just saying, we can add a few more isolations on this part, make it more solid."_ came from Warren, with Max nodding beside him. Gray raised an eyebrow because they usually weren't keen on moves like that. They must have grown more versatile.

This was when Erza realized that while they choreographed the whole routine so that most of the parts can be done by anyone in the team, they forgot to highlight the individual strengths of their members. Some of them were better at specific moves than the others. Lisanna was very acrobatic, Laki excelled in turns and quick footwork, Natsu always picked up on breakdance stunts scarily fast, Jet and Droy never missed beats moving in perfect sync with each other, while Max and Warren were extremely good with subtle, intricate steps. They only got better while Erza wasn't looking, and they're letting her know because they want to bring in their own stuff to the table.

For a bit, Erza doubted her leadership again - how could she fail to utilize the best of everyone's abilities? But then she recalled how they all consulted her and realized that none of them looked upset or disappointed when they were talking to her. They were just eager to add in their own touches in the choreo that Erza, Gray and Levy came up with. They were just making sure that they gave their best to the routine, making it stronger.

Throughout the day and into the night, they polished an even better routine, with Elfman and Alzack not letting the team down with their camerawork.

When everyone watched the latest practice video - the one with the full single shot of the whole routine short of the sunset and costumes - there was a general awestruck air among the group.

"Holy shit." came from Laxus, and on either side of him, Mira laughed in delight while Freed let out a relieved breath and leaned against his shoulder.

"Same." Bixlow mumbled, already clicking the replay button to estimate whatever editing or effects he should add when they shoot the actual, final video the next day.

Laxus just looked at the rest of the team. "If you guys dance even better than this tomorrow, with your costumes and the sunset and everything, it'll kick major ass."

"Yeah, well..." Natsu said, a proud grin on his face. "That's kind of the whole point, right?"

.

.

* * *

.

When Juvia arrived in the record store, she was met by Rogue busy organizing CD albums on the shelves.

"Good afternoon, Juvia-san." the teenager greeted pleasantly.

"Afternoon, Rogue-kun!" Juvia smiled quickly at him before rushing towards Gajeel, on his usual perch by the counter reading a music magazine. "Gajeel-kun! Do you have internet access on your phone?"

Gajeel looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "You know my phone's practically a burner, right?"

Juvia stopped abruptly, and her friend watched as she looked down, her shoulders slumping in misery. "Juvia totally forgot…"

"What's the deal?" Gajeel asked.

"Juvia went here because there's wi-fi-"

" _Employee-only_ wi-fi." he reminded her.

"Employ-" the woman bolted upright again and looked around. "Rogue-kun, can you access the internet on your phone?"

Rogue tensed and Juvia wondered why he was so slowly looking up at her… before he smiled in what looked like embarrassment and said, "I… I actually don't have a phone…"

Both Gajeel and Juvia stared at him.

He scratched his head. "I have a Kindle, it can connect to wi-fi, but only for browsing…"

Then out of the blue, a new voice joined in, "I have an iPad, but I don't have the wi-fi password."

Juvia turned to see a blonde teen standing on one corner of the store. He was standing by the turntables, and appeared to have been listening to one of the vinyl records via headphones. She didn't notice him there when she arrived. It took her a moment to realize that he was the 'annoying blonde skateboard kid' that Gajeel had told her about.

"Um… hi, I'm Sting." the kid said, smiling a toothy smile. It vaguely reminded Juvia of Natsu. "I see you here often! Are you Gajeel-sempai's girlfriend?"

"I'm not your sempai." Gajeel huffed. "And I have no girlfriend. And for the last freakin' time, Rogue is not for sale, get out of my shop."

"S-Sempai!" Rogue stammered, blushing. "Sting-kun is not here for me-"

"Yeah, I'm still, uhhhh, saving up to buy this record, alright?!" Sting pouted, but was also blushing. "Anyway, the pretty lady over there needs the internet!"

"There's no way in hell we're givin' you the password." Gajeel deadpanned.

"Gajeel-kun… Please?" Juvia pleaded, clinging to the man's arm.

"No." he grumbled.

"Gajeel-kuuuuunnnn~"

He looked away when she decided to use her puppy eyes. As he did this, he saw that Sting had sidled up next to Rogue with his iPad and was having the raven-head tap in the wi-fi password. And Rogue was actually cooperating. "Oi, Rogue, you little-!"

Sting sent Gajeel what the man called a 'shit-eating grin' while Rogue tried to reason out, "But it sounds like a really urgent matter for Juvia-san..."

Juvia let out a small delighted squeal and ran across the store towards the boys, who quickly made space for her to squeeze in between them.

Gajeel growled. "You tap that thing one more time-"

To his dismay, Juvia was the one to smirk at him this time and tap the iPad. There was a soft chiming sound before Sting happily announced, "...And we're connected! Where to?"

"YouTube, please." Juvia answered.

"Oh, what're we watchin'?" the blonde asked as he navigated the gadget for the three of them.

"Gray-sama said they already uploaded their entry for the dance contest." the woman replied. When Sting held the gadget out for her, she quickly thanked him and began typing in the search box.

Upon hearing this, Gajeel put his magazine down. "You three get your asses over here, I'm watchin' too."

Juvia, Sting and Rogue quickly shuffled over to the counter. There was no customer in the shop (no one considered Sting a customer anymore, at least) so they didn't have to worry. As soon as they were all settled, Sting played the video they found and set it to full screen.

.

The video started with a black screen, in the middle of it a symbol, something that vaguely resembled a bird in flight, with some kind of pointed, arrow-like tail. It was plain white against the black, and then the sound of footsteps were heard… on top of light music, distant voices singing softly…

The first shot followed a pair of red heels, and zoomed out to show a familiar woman with her back turned to the camera. Erza was walking towards the guild's garage, wearing a white button-up blouse and black suit pants, her hair on a loose but neat bun behind her head. She was wearing thick red-rimmed glasses.

As soon as she stepped in the garage, the remix started - in full dubstep. The doors of the two cars parked in the garage suddenly swung open.

 _((Grab somebody, go live it up-_  
 _Yeah baby c'mon..._  
 _Get ready ready ready for the weekend...))_

Max and Warren, both also in business suits complete with coat and tie, came out from the cars while doing animation and pop-and-lock steps.

"These people are your friends, Juvia-san?" Rogue asked quietly.

Juvia proudly nodded.

Max and Warren's intricate animation moves involved them taking off their coats and loosening their neckties.

 _((Grab somebody, go live it up -_  
 _Yeah, shawty get rough..._  
 _Get ready ready ready for the weekend!))_

Then as the music picked up a more techno sound, Erza suddenly let her hair down and threw her glasses away, and the three of them started dancing in a flurry of hip-hop choreography.

 _((The weekend is comin' up, wanna go loud..._  
 _The way we make this stripper shake when we go off!))_

Max then ran forward to climb on the first staircase, Warren and Erza following close.

The camera tailed them seamlessly until they burst through the door, when the three dancers disappeared from the shot and they saw Natsu was standing alone in the middle of the dancefloor.

 _((The weekend is comin' up, wanna go loud..._  
 _East, west, downtown, ready all around!))_

He was wearing a tight black sleeveless top, baggy dirty white pants and a white scarf wrapped like a towel on his head. He was leaning against a mop, a bucket by his feet. When the three passed by, he jumped up, seemingly surprised, and began mopping the floor.

 _((Come out and play - I'm ridin' my wave,_  
 _Crashin' like we got just one day!))_

Then he kicked the bucket away and launched into intricate break and krump dancing using the mop as a prop. He was clearly in his element, showing off on a series of really complicated floor work with rolls, stands and spins before jumping up to his feet again.

 _((The harder you go, the better you feel-_  
 _C'mon and grab somebody, get ready for the weekend!))_

"I wanna be him when I grow up." Sting declared. He was met by three different voices telling him to be quiet.

Then Natsu slid across the floor as an exit just as the camera quickly panned towards Erza, who was doing a hip-hop solo on the stairs, all the while climbing it as the camera followed her. The music had done a minor shift - it was a remix after all.

 _(( - We can live fast, die young._  
 _Everyday we celebrate just like we won..._  
 _Only you and I, DIY._  
 _We found a way to live the dream until we die...))_

They reached the next floor, it looked slightly different than how Gajeel remembered it, but he had no time to nitpick as suddenly there was Lisanna, in a collared shirt and beige shorts, a dark green apron on her waist - a waitress or barista costume, doing several impressive flips and somersaults. She landed neatly in between Max and Warren, and they continued the hip-hop choreography.

 _((Just come into my arms..._  
 _I will get you love drunk...))_

This time their moves were snappy and precise, a series of well-calculated arm and leg movements all while switching formations so often.

 _((We'll be burning bright-_  
 _Us against the world tonight!))_

Then all of a sudden, Natsu was seen again, sliding across the floor with his mop and bucket running towards the staircase in a hurry. The shot focused on him as he jumped and did a few more tricks as he climbed the stairs.

"Shit, that's life-threatening." Gajeel mumbled.

 _((They say, "You're a freak," when we're having fun._  
 _Say, "You must be high," when we're spreading love._  
 _But we're just living life and we never stop,_  
 _We got the world… We got the wo-wo-wo-wo-wo...))_

When they got to the fourth floor, they were greeted by an empty hallway, the walls in differently-colored wallpaper. After just a beat, four doors opened at the same time.

 _((I'm waking up, up on the floor, still looking perfect..._  
 _I'm walking out, out through the door, into the circus...))_

Erza, Levy, Jet and Droy stepped out in sync and closed the doors behind them as they moonwalked backwards. Erza was still in her business attire, but with her buttons undone to reveal her black tank top underneath, and her heels replaced by dancing shoes. The other three were all in what looked like construction site jumpsuits with the top parts undone and tied around their waists instead. Levy was wearing a bright orange tank top, while Jet and Droy wore neon-printed shirts.

 _((I jump the train, I never pay 'cause I'm a rock star!_  
 _You go with me, there will be drink in a tea, ah-))_

The four of them made great use of the somewhat restrictive dancing area - utilizing the walls for their choreography and the length of the hall for their formations. Then the camera started zooming in on the three tappers and Erza disappeared from the frame. Gajeel had seen the three dancers tap-dancing, but man, they danced good hip-hop, too. This part seemed to focus on complicated footwork… and how well Jet and Droy danced like twins while Levy danced a killer solo.

 _((I know you like, like what you see, well I can't help it..._  
 _Sit next to me, buy me a drink, let's not be selfish-_  
 _Hey now our friends don't wanna dance, just drink at your expense!_  
 _So good to be, so so so good to be me!))_

The camera also stepped back and followed them when the three ran forward, heading for the next floor.

This time, the hallways weren't empty, because as soon as the shot focused on them, Gray, Natsu and Laki started dancing. Gray, ironically, was wearing his waiter's uniform - Juvia thought this must be his way of sticking it to the man or something. Laki was wearing dark red scrubs. It was an interesting mix, Gray and Laki on a high-paced pop-and-lock sequence while Natsu breakdanced just in front of them.

 _((Come out and play, I'm ridin' my wave!_  
 _Crashin' like we got just one day!))_

They each looked very much in their element - and the four watching held their breaths as Gray stepped forward and did a show-stopping hip-hop solo, before he swiftly stepped aside. Natsu slid forward past him, quickly rolling on the floor, spinning on his arms and shoulders several times with his legs in the air, finishing with a handstand.

 _((The harder you go, the better you feel..._  
 _C'mon and grab somebody, get ready for the weekend!))_

Then it was Laki who strided past him. On her way, she grabbed the towel that was tucked in Natsu's pocket, and after several spins and a graceful pirouette, threw the item towards the camera.

The shot shook and blurred for a while, and when it cleared, the camera was following the three as they ran up the stairs, doing more jumps and flips as they did so. From there, the music was all instrumental dubstep and techno sounds and effects.

When they got to the sixth floor, Laki, Gray and Natsu disappeared from the shot as they continued running - and then the door of Laxus' studio burst open - out went the rest of the crew, all carrying various items. Max went out first, holding out a party popper and raising it high as he let the confetti fly. As the colorful strips fell, the others followed him to the rooftop. Lisanna was holding a megaphone and Warren was carrying an old but colorful cassette player. Levy, Jet and Droy had two glow sticks each. Last in line was Erza, who kept pace with the camera.

The music suddenly seemed to slow down, and so did the shot and the movements of the dancers. When Erza arrived in the rooftop everyone was moving in slow motion, and the camera captured a shot of everyone dropping their things scattered around the floor as they moved to stand side-by-side in a neat row, their silhouettes pitch black against the setting sun.

Then from left to right, they each raised their right hands, one after the other, their fingers forming an L shape like some kind of group symbol. As the last person raised their hand, the remix kicked in again, the music picking up its quick tempo in one beat.

The camera then panned to capture the view from the front as the team broke into a new formation.

 _((I'm out again, I'm ridin' my wave!_  
 _Crashin' like we got just one day!))_

They formed a triangle - Levy in front, the second row with Laki and Lisanna, the third being Natsu, Erza and Gray, and the last Max, Jet, Droy and Warren. The shot was breath-taking, everyone dancing in unison bathed in orange light turning to light purple, the sky behind them slowly turning from orange to evening blue.

 _((The harder you go, the better you feel-_  
 _C'mon and grab somebody, get ready for the weekend!))_

Juvia recognized some of the Smooth Criminal steps in this last sequence. It was very similar, the pop-and-lock emphasis, fast footwork, intricate arm and hand gestures, and snappy movements. But unlike that one, with everyone approaching the choreography with their own touches, this one looked very polished, everyone dancing in sync and each of them looking like masters of the style. It was very clear that they practiced with perfect unison in mind.

 _((Grab somebody, go live it up!_  
 _Yeah, shawty get rough!_  
 _Get ready ready ready for the weekend-!))_

The dance ended up with the crew in one row again, raising their hands with the Guild's hand symbol, but this time facing the camera, with everyone's features visible. The shot faded to black, with a simple message in the end.

 _'The Guild will return in the Street Dance Battle.'_

.

Sting hit the 'Like' button before he even realized it. He turned to Juvia. "THAT WAS BADASS! Are there more of these guys? When's the contest thing? I'm sooo watching!"

Juvia was too busy clapping her hands, practically choking back her tears. Gajeel sighed and answered for her. "They hafta get in the top five first, kid. 'Cause only the five best teams will get in the battle portion."

"How are they judged?" Rogue asked, curious.

"By likes." Gajeel said. "Am I right?"

Juvia finally got her composure back and nodded. "This is the elimination round, every dance crew may post their video in the site, and the five teams with the most upvotes will go on."

"Oh well then, I voted already." Sting grinned. "You guys should totally go online somewhere and vote too. Wait, maybe I can log out my account so you guys can log in and Like it yourself."

Juvia practically tackled the boy. "Please do that!"

"Alright, alright!" the blonde laughed, tapping away. "Hell, I'm gonna share it on my Facebook too. Who was holdin' that camera, man? Also the mop dude is my role model. D'you know him, Juvia-nee-chan?"

Juvia was not phased by the teen's sudden familiarity. Sting-kun was nice lending out his iPad and now helping her vote for Gray-sama's team. So she just smiled at the blonde. "His name is Natsu Dragneel. Juvia will tell him you liked his dancing."

"Alright! Natsu-sempai!" he whistled, handing the iPad to Juvia so she can log in herself. Then he peered at Rogue. "You gonna vote too, Rogue?"

The raven-head smiled and nodded. "Of course."

"Juvia helped decorate those hallways." Juvia said proudly.

"Oh man, I'd kill to just… like, hold their towels for them or somethin'!"

Gajeel sighed as he watched the three of them talking excitedly about the dance video, leaving comments, sharing it on other sites and sending links to friends… Then they watched it again. And again. And again. Never running out of commentary about the different parts of the vid.

It was never this loud around the shop. But looking at his companions again, Gajeel concluded that he didn't mind too much. It wasn't so bad.

.

.

end of ch. 9

.

* * *

 **A/N:** This AU will be the death of me.

All of them are so talented. How.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- The dance video music is a mashup/remix of _'Ready for the Weekend'_ , _'On A Roll'_ , and _'We Got the World'_ by Icona Pop. I love them okay? They're not exactly the usual hip-hop affair, but they're techno enough and the guild crew could get down to that - and street moves go well with them too. I don't have an exact remix of these songs, but they all sound compatible enough. Told my dad about it. He agrees.  
\- And single-shot dance videos are freakin' awesome. I think the most popular ones on YouTube are those song cover videos by Max and Kurt Schneider, they have one (i think it was a Maroon 5 medley) where they go around the house in one take and that's basically the same concept. **  
**

 **Next Chapter:** _I won't put the song titles here anymore because I have been informed that they are spoilers, and some of you guys prefer to be surprised._  
But yep next chapter we're back to dancing Juvia. This time with... (gasp) SOMEONE.


	10. Laughter Lines

**A/N:** This chapter is late. I know. Apologies - I've actually had four chapters ready for editing and posting but there were some personal and IRL matters that had to be prioritized.

But now I'm back! And Sparks is back! And idk guys I know you've waited long enough for this so here goes~

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 10:**  
 _("I'll see you in the future when we're older  
and we are full of stories to be told.  
Cross my heart and hope to die,  
I'll see you with your-_ _")_  
 **Laughter Lines  
** \- Bastille

.

It's been a few days since they've posted their entry online, and things at The Guild have mostly returned to normal. Besides keeping most of the decorated walls and doors as is, it was almost as if the whole 2-week video preparation didn't happen.

All that they knew was they currently have days away from the deadline of the upvotes, but they were currently gathering a pretty good count so far so they didn't worry too much.

Life returning to normal meant that there were only a few people in the guild during the afternoon. When Juvia came that day, the house was mostly quiet. No one was on the dance floor. When she reached the common area, there was only Evergreen and Bixlow eating popcorn and watching a movie on TV, Levy on her desk busy with her laptop, and Cana lounging on the floor by the bean bags and filing her nails.

They were used to Juvia dropping by the Guild to practice by now. No one else besides Gray had seen her dance so far, but they respected that enough and didn't demand too much of her. They just told her that she can invite them over to see her dance when she was ready. They've all been there at one point or another, and knew how hard it was to overcome stage fright.

"Hey, girl." Evergreen greeted when she noticed their guest.

Levy, who was in the upper loft area, also took at moment to greet her. "Juvia-chan! Here to practice?"

Juvia nodded, greeting them all a pleasant afternoon before answering the question. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Naw, it's never too much trouble." Cana said, sparing her an easy grin.

Then Bixlow sat up too. "Hey, didja see our vid already?"

"Of course!" the young woman nodded. "It was brilliant! The choreography, the shots, everything! Gajeel-kun also voted. Oh, and some of the part-timers in the shop. They liked it a lot and said they'll share it to their friends."

"Wow, thanks!" the man beamed. "Max is keepin' track of the counts. He says we're leading so far, last time he checked."

Juvia smiled. The video and the routine was very impressive. They deserve the top ranking.

"Thank Lucy for that, really." Cana said, chuckling. "She got Loke to retweet her link and his legion of fangirls picked up right away."

Juvia blinked. "Loke as in… _the_ Loke-sama from _Glitter_?"

"Loke, the dashing lion of the stage..." the brunette declared dramatically. "It's so freakin' cheesy it actually works. But yep, _that_ Loke. Y'know, killer smile, superb vocals, _sparkles_..."

"Loke-sama and Lucy-san are close, even off-stage?" Juvia asked. She knew about Loke, he was the leading man for Glitter, and Juvia absolutely adored his duet with Lucy from the show. Lucy and Loke appeared a lot together in videos, guestings and interviews, too.

Cana laughed. "Girl, they had to kiss each other at least twice every night, five nights a week. _Glitter_ was already on for 2 years before we recasted. They're close, alright."

"Didn't they know each other even before the show?" Evergreen said.

Cana thought about it shortly before remembering. "Oh, yeah. He was a child actor, right? He worked with Aquarius-san and Lucy's mom once when he was a kid."

"He's a pretty cool guy. Really chill, sometimes he hangs out 'round here." Bixlow added.

Juvia gaped. "R-Really?!"

"Yup. You can ask Gray 'bout him." the man shrugged. "They get along, those two."

"Not too much, though." Cana followed quickly, smirking a bit. "He might get jealous."

Juvia didn't know how to answer that, and only looked down, blushing. Although honestly, she wanted to scream _'DOES EVERYONE KNOW?'_

"Oh, and he beat you to the rooftop, if you're here for that." the brunette said.

"Gray-sama is on the rooftop?"

"Mm-hm, told us he'll be dancing. Feel free to check out if he's still breathing up there."

"Won't Juvia be disturbing Gray-sama...?" she asked, frowning worriedly.

This time it was Bixlow who waved a dismissive hand and a cheerful smile. "Nah, no way, he likes you 'round. Betcha he won't mind if you watch him doing his thing!"

* * *

It took some more prodding from the others before Juvia finally dared to go visit Gray on the rooftop. He never really seemed to mind when others watched him dance anyway. Unlike her, he was confident like that.

When she got there, she was surprised to hear an acoustic track playing from the speakers. Gray was standing alone, barefoot in just an unbuttoned shirt and loose cotton pants. He was holding a towel in one hand and his phone in the other, eyes closed. He was listening to the music. He looked so calm and peaceful.

Juvia didn't want to disturb him, trying to shut the door behind her as quietly as possible, but it still made a small click. Gray looked up to see her, surprised.

She quickly looked down. "Juvia didn't mean to disturb Gray-sama!"

"It's alright." he said with an easygoing smile. "I was drawing a blank anyway."

Juvia let out a soft relieved breath before she walked towards him. She set her bag down beside his things as she asked, "Gray-sama is dancing alone?"

He nodded. "Just felt like a nice break from all the intense group hip-hop for the past two weeks. I think everyone's enjoying the peace. If we make the top five, we're gonna be busy as hell again."

" _'When'_ you make the top five." Juvia corrected mildly, a cheeky smile on her face.

Gray glanced at her and chuckled. She was always so meek, but sometimes she goes and reminds him that she has quite a fight in her. It always took him by surprise. "Right. When. Thanks for the vote, by the way."

"Juvia is just glad to help. It's nothing compared to what Gray-sama and the others have done for Juvia..." she paused for a while to listen to the music. It was a really mellow song, just a man's gentle voice and a guitar, with occasional deep piano chords in the accompaniment.

 _((I will not ask you where you came from.  
I will not ask and neither should you.))_

"The song is pretty." she commented, sitting down beside the speakers.

"Yeah, I've got the guy's whole album in here." Gray said, looking down at his phone. "It's a bit different from his usual stuff." After another verse, he continued. "I'm not coming up with anything for it though."

 _((Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips.))_

Juvia blinked in confusion. The song didn't sound like Gray's genre, and he wasn't exactly dressed for hip-hop either… but who was she to tell, really?

 _((We should just kiss like real people do...))_

"It's better for a duet." he said, shrugging.

Juvia nodded quietly. The song was fit for a contemporary duet. A very romantic one, at that.

They fell silent as Gray scrolled through music tracks in his phone, while the song was coming to an end.

The music stopped, and Gray hummed a small tune as he considered a song. Juvia just watched him as he did this. After a while, he took a deep breath, then looked at her with a thoughtful expression. She tensed under his gaze, waiting for him to say something.

"Wanna dance together?" he asked, tone honestly curious.

Juvia sat up straighter. "W-What…?"

"You know. Dance. With me?"

"Juvia-… Juvia never danced with anyone before!"

He shrugged, already approaching her. "It's not that hard. Let's try mirroring. Just do what I do."

"E-Eh? Juvia can't dance like Gray-sama does!"

"You know that's crap. I've seen you do your thing plenty of times now. You can outdance me with your eyes closed." he said, stopping in front of her. He knew he was right, too. For the past few days that he watched her come up with routines, trying out different songs, all he saw was pure talent and a lot of improvement. He could hardly wait for her to show the others what she can do.

After putting down his towel and his phone, he pressed 'play'. The music was already starting when he offered his hand to the woman.

"W-Why does Gray-sama want Juvia to-"

"It's no fun to dance this song alone." he answered simply. "C'mon, it's gonna be real easy."

"But Juvia doesn't know hip-hop!"

"We're not doing hip-hop."

"Eh?"

Juvia turned towards the phone he had put down beside her and blinked at the song name. As if on cue, the vocals of the first verse was heard.

 _((You took me to your favorite place on Earth...))_

She then blinked up at Gray. "C-Contemporary?"

He nodded. "We'll take turns leading, how 'bout that?"

 _((...to see the tree they cut down ten years from your birth.))_

That sounded like a crazy way to do things. Also, she had never danced with someone else before. But there was Gray in front of her again, offering his hand. He had seen her dance a lot of times now, and he had only ever been helpful. She knew she would have to do this in the future anyway, and didn't she say that she was trying new things and conquering her fears?

 _((Our fingers traced in circles 'round its history.))_

So Juvia took off her jacket and her sandals, leaving herself in her sleeveless light blue dress and leggings that ended just below her knees. She let Gray help her up and pull her towards the middle of the floor.

 _((We brushed our hands right back in time through centuries-))_

"Ready?" he asked as they stood in front of each other, maintaining a considerable space between them. "Just do what I do, a beat after me."

 _((-as you held me down, you said...))_

Juvia nodded, unsure but determined. She had never seen Gray dance another genre. She didn't know what to expect, but she trusted him, so she just watched him closely as the song's first chorus started.

 _((I'll see you in the future when we're older...))_

Gray extended an arm to his side in a sweeping gesture, followed by his legs as he spun around, and then stepped to the side and leapt. Juvia held her breath as she took this in - his form was strong and steady even though it was so different than what he usually did. He was… well, he was in a familiar element.

 _((...and we are full of stories to be told.))_

But she snapped out of it quickly, following his lead to do the same movements, but choosing to move on the opposite direction.

"You alright?" he called out, but didn't stop moving, following his steps with more turns, adding jumps and kicks with his arms spread wide. He didn't add any small complicated movement, knowing those were better when choreographed beforehand.

 _((Cross my heart and hope to die...))_

"Hai!" Juvia replied quickly, focusing on following his movements several beats after him. The steps were easy enough, although she missed some of them because she was busy with a turn. But she didn't stop moving.

She filled the blanks in with a pirouette or a gesture of her own, improvising. Because if she had learned anything during the afternoons she spent coming up with a routine while Gray watched and gave critique, it was that as a dancer, her instinct should be to keep moving. Just because she didn't know the next step doesn't mean she has to freeze up.

 _((I'll see you with your laughter lines.))_

When the chorus finished, Gray said, "Your turn."

He was surprised when Juvia sent a smirk towards him. "Okay."

Then she started moving, doing a quick series of turns and then sliding smoothly down the floor. It was followed by a couple of rolls and somersaults.

 _((Changes on our hands and on our faces.))_

 _'Oh, that's just unfair. I suck at floorwork.'_ Gray groaned, but he didn't want to lose this little game that he started, so he followed suit.

Juvia was unexpectedly competitive, he realized. Her floorwork was great - very far from the unsure steps she showed him the first time - but Gray kept up and if he missed some steps, he replaced them with arm gestures and some rolls of his own. Two can play the game, after all.

 _((Oh oh, memories are mapped out by the lines we'll trace-))_

The verse ended with Juvia getting back up on her feet, and this time she was the one to offer her hand to Gray. He accepted it quickly and let her pull him up.

"You're enjoying this." he said, eyes narrowing, an amused smile on his face.

Juvia just sent him a bright smile, about to withdraw her hand from his so they can continue the dance, but instead he gave it a little squeeze. She blinked. "Gray-sama?"

 _((-as you held me down you said...))_

"Hold on tight."

She yelped as he took both of her arms and moved them to shoulders, then lifted her up bridal style.

 _((I'll see you in the future when we're older...))_

Quick to follow instructions, Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as he started a series of turns while carrying her in his arms.

 _((...and we are full of stories to be told.))_

When Gray set her down, she looked at him breathlessly, hands still on his shoulders. He took one of them on his own. He only said, "Come on." before he strode backwards, not letting go of her hand, and tugged at her lightly.

Juvia blinked once, got his message and spun, ending up pressed against him again with his arms wrapped around her.

Juvia held her breath when he bent down, dipping her slowly, but she didn't worry too much because he held her in a firm but comfortable grip, his control solid. "Gray-sama didn't say anything about partnerwork."

 _((Cross my heart and hope to die...))_

When he stood straight back up, she spun again, out of his arms, but she didn't let go of his hand and he let her walk slowly around him, her movements still as graceful.

It's not that she wasn't used to physical contact - she's been in relationships before - but she wasn't used to it while dancing. The eyes trained on her embarrassed her enough, what more with another pair of hands touching her? But then, this was Gray, the second person she opened up to - and he seemed so experienced with dancing with someone, she knew he was sure with what he was doing.

 _((I'll see you with your laughter lines.))_

"Sorry." he chuckled apologetically, this time she tugged on his hand and he followed her lead as she turned him around to face her. "Your turn now. Do your worst."

 _((Ashen faces in cold breeze, ashen faces in cold breeze...))_

She thought about it first, then bit her lip. "Juvia doesn't know much about partnerwork."

 _((Armed with stories you will leave...))_

Gray looked at her, considering for a while. "Do you trust me?"

Juvia looked up at him and nodded.

"Wanna try lifting? Nothing too high, or complicated."

 _((Oh, armed with stories you will leave...))_

Juvia looked down at his hand holding hers. Well, they've come this far… and he wasn't complaining about anything yet…

So she answered him by taking a step back and resting her hands firmly on his shoulders. Gray smiled and only said, "Okay, on three." He reached out to hold her by the waist. "One, two..."

 _((I'll see you in the future when we're older...))_

She stepped forward, jumped, and let him raise her above his head with his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders. She let out a little squeak and had her eyes closed as she felt herself high up. He turned once, slowly - still matching the rhythm of the song.

Juvia could have sworn her heart had stopped for a moment, but with his strong, sure hold on her, she found herself with nothing to fear.

 _((...and we are full of stories to be told.))_

She opened her eyes and locked her gaze into his as he put her down.

He didn't avoid her look. "Another one, this time you can extend your legs if you wanna."

"Hai." she answered shortly, twirling around to spare some distance between them again, and waited for his signal.

This time he didn't count and simply nodded at her. She ran to him again, and when he raised her, higher up because of the better momentum, she had her legs stretched in the air.

 _((Cross my heart and hope to die...))_

Gray held her there for a moment.

Then he said, "Alright, don't be scared. I got you, okay?"

She nodded wordlessly, looking down at him. She didn't know what he was going to do, but she trusted him. Then as he spun around, he let her go, only to catch her in his arms just as quickly. She buried her head on his shoulder as he carried her and twirled several more times before letting her down.

 _((I'll see you with your laughter lines...))_

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Juvia spun around, leapt away and when she landed, made a series of graceful pirouettes, one leg extended to her side. When she sent him a bright smile, Gray quickly followed her lead.

 _((I'll see you in the future when we're old...))_

When he stopped beside her, he held his hand out, and she didn't question it as he gave her an assist while she made a high leap, an arm raised to her side, followed by a turn once she landed. She did the same for him when he followed.

 _((I'll see you in the future when we're old.))_

To finish the song, he pulled her towards him by the hand and twirled her around one last time. As the music faded out, they simply faced each other, catching their breath, and standing a lot closer than when they started.

They were silent as the song changed. It was a soft ballad that was unfamiliar to Juvia so she didn't pay much attention to it. She just lifted her head to look up at Gray, who met her eyes without hesitation.

When their breathing and heartbeats grew steadier, Gray was the first one to break the silence. "Well… that's… _something_." He raised his hand and tucked strands of blue hair behind the woman's ear. Juvia blushed as he did this, but didn't withdraw. "Been a while since I danced contemporary with someone."

"Gray-sama was…" she started, but trailed off weakly as she fiddled with the hem of her dress. "Gray-sama didn't look like he was out of practice."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? I can hardly keep up with you."

She smiled lightly. "Juvia wouldn't be able to lift herself alone."

Gray laughed then. A short, amused laugh. "I just hope it wasn't a bad experience for your first time." Then he finally turned around and walked away to grab his towel.

"It wasn't!" Juvia insisted quickly, following him. As he wiped the sweat from his face and neck, she rummaged through her bag for her own towel. "Juvia would have to learn to dance with someone one way or another, so… Juvia is glad that it's Gray-sama."

He shrugged. "I just didn't feel like dancing an old style all on my own, it sounds too miserable."

"Juvia didn't know that Gray-sama danced contemporary." she remarked, looking up at him as she sat down beside their things.

"Why do you think I'm able to give useful critique to your dancing?"

He had a point. She always thought that for a hip-hop dancer, his coaching for her contemporary style was good and on-point. So she asked, "How long has Gray-sama been dancing contemporary?"

"It was the first style I trained for. Lessons and all." he answered, sitting with her on the floor. "I was around eight or nine. Dad wanted me to play in the little league but I insisted I wanna dance instead. Mom talked him into letting me get lessons in a studio. But they died when I was eleven, and I got transferred into the system. Kept practicin' on my spare time though. Didn't wanna lose my training. I just self-studied hip-hop because it was easier to use on the streets, plus I met Natsu, Erza and the others. Usually I just dance contemporary when Erza needs a partner for a routine she came up with. But that doesn't happen so much these days… 'till I saw you dancing like a badass and made me miss it all over again. So I dunno, today I felt like it. Danced a couple old routines I can still remember, freestyled a bit, then you came in."

At this, she looked down, fiddling with her towel again. "Juvia must pale in comparison to Erza-san with her choreography and dancing."

"Oi, your solos are brilliant." he argued firmly, reaching out to poke her on the nose. "And you're lighter than I expected."

She glanced at him with a small smile.

"Erza's just experienced in making routines for partners and groups… I'm not much of a choreographer in the contemporary department." the man continued, resting his arms on his knees lazily. "In any department, really."

"Juvia always worried about those things…" she said softly. "Group dance, not so scary… but duets are… they look pretty intimate, all the lifts and carrying… Juvia is not used to being touched while dancing."

Gray observed her silently, all of a sudden feeling guilty. "Hey, I… didn't force you into anything… right? Or… y'know, tell me if I made you do something you didn't want to do-"

She looked back at him, surprised. "Ah, no! Not at all! It was… dancing with Gray-sama was… was nice. Some of it took Juvia by surprise, but… it was okay…"

He nodded, relieved. They sat in silence together for a while, just listening to the ballad playing from the speakers.

"Juvia should thank Gray-sama for dancing with her." she whispered, just loud enough for her companion to hear. "Juvia wouldn't have tried. Ever. If Gray-sama didn't suggest it."

At this, he couldn't help but smile a bit as he pat her on the head. "You're welcome."

Juvia nodded meekly. She watched as he set his towel and a spare shirt behind him, then used those as a pillow as he laid on his back on the floor.

After a while, she broke the silence. "Next time Juvia won't complain too much."

"There's a next time now?" he asked, looking up at her, a smirk slowly forming on his lips.

She blushed bright red then, quickly raising her hands and waving them frantically. "A-Ah, no, Juvia- Juvia doesn't mean it like- Um, that is-… If only Gray-sama invites Juvia to join him again and- I-It's not that- Uhhhh-"

He just chuckled as he shook his head, amused. Sometimes she was just too easy to tease. "You wanna dance with me _again_. I feel like I scored a second date or something."

"E-E-EH?" She blushed brighter. He didn't know how that was possible, but he was getting a live demonstration so he better believe. "W-W-Wha- That was- Juvia just-"

"I'm joking!" he laughed. "Breathe, man."

That didn't help with her embarrassment, as she was still blushing madly, but to his surprise her next words were "If Juvia wants a date, she will ask Gray-sama directly!"

He couldn't believe how adorable that came out. He could hardly stop himself from laughing to ask, "And do you want a date?"

"Does Juvia-… Yes…?" she answered, but it sounded like she couldn't quite come to terms with the fact that she was answering in the first place. Then she snapped out of it. "No! That is-… Maybe? Soon, but not while everyone is busy and-… Gray-sama, don't laugh!"

"Sorry!" he breathed out, trying to contain his laughter. "S'just you won't stop blushing."

"Juvia is _embarrassed_!"

He sniggered. "I can tell."

She pouted, looking away. "Gray-sama thinks Juvia is a mess."

"No, I don't." he quickly corrected her. "I think you're amusing."

"Juvia is being serious!"

"Yeah, amusingly serious."

She looked at him like she was either about to cry or just literally explode, there was no in-between.

"For the record," he said, trying to calm her down. "If I wanted a date, I'd ask directly too. Good call on your part."

Juvia wiped the upcoming tears and blinked at him. _'Good.'_ , Gray thought. She was confused now, it was better than cry-or-explode mode.

Then gingerly, she asked, "Does Gray-sama have a girlfriend?"

"You haven't asked the others 'bout that yet?" - because from his experience, girls usually don't ask so directly.

She shook her head.

"You really wanna know?"

She frowned then, probably running out of patience. "Juvia is asking for a friend."

He laughed. She was a goddamn roller coaster. Amazing.

"Of course Juvia wants to know!" she pouted.

Gray just let out another chuckle before shrugging. "I won't be flirting with anyone if I had a girlfriend."

It didn't seem to faze her that he admitted that he had been flirting with her.

Maybe they both already knew. Somehow. They're not exactly awkward inexperienced teenagers anymore, after all.

Instead she asked, with a very straight face, "May Juvia be your girlfriend, then?"

He looked up at her, this time it was his turn to blink. "You're not very subtle, d'you know that?"

She just looked back at him innocently. "Juvia has been told that she is not very good at hiding her feelings when she likes someone anyway, and that was followed by _'Give it up and just come out with it'._ It was a bit rude, but still well-intentioned, so Juvia is following the advice."

Well, Gray thought that was a very smart thing to do, as well. "Was that Gajeel?"

"Yes."

"I thought so."

When she didn't reply, Gray knew that she was waiting for his answer.

He just sighed deeply before speaking up again. "You know I'm kind of in the dumps right now? I still haven't found myself a job and I don't have that much saved up. Cana will probably have to cover for my rent next month until I get a job and after that, I'll still have to pay her what I owe… And the contest deal… We're good but we can't guarantee that we'll win it and-… Whatever. I'm basically a really big loser at the moment."

She shook her head fervently. "No, Gray-sama is not-"

"Yeah, it's mostly my ego talking. It's not as bad as I make it sound." he said, looking up at the sky as he considered his next words. "But you're a pretty and kickass waitress-slash-dancer with a pro career waiting for you - don't even argue with me on this because we all know you'll nail the audition - so… do you really want to be this really big loser's girlfriend?"

The woman fell silent, but after a beat, she scooted closer to him. Then, she also laid on the floor, on her side so she can rest her head on the raven-head's chest and still look at his face. She was trying to comfort him, he knew.

She said, "There should be a _'right now'_ in there somewhere."

He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her. "What?"

"It should be _'really big loser right now'_. That means it's not permanent. Things will be better soon."

He couldn't help but smile. "You're very optimistic. You know that too, right?"

She shrugged, shifting to lie on her back so she could look up at the sky as well. "Someone has to keep the mood up."

Gray raised an eyebrow, rolling his eyes. "And you sass me in scarily random intervals. What is up with you, seriously."

But really. It was adorable.

He reached out to grab his phone because the player had switched to a loud, distracting pop song. As soon as he turned the music off, he went back to cloud-watching. Juvia stayed silent and patient, her gaze trained at the sky, but he can tell that she was feeling a bit tensed with the way her hands were clasped by her stomach and there was still a light blush in her cheeks.

He could stare at her all day like this, really. Maybe he should take a picture. She looked so pretty in this angle-

 _Oh, what the hell._

"Fine, you can be my girlfriend if you drop the _'-sama'_."

It was impressive how she could suddenly roll on her side to look directly at him, her hands gripping his sleeve as she practically shouted, "Gray!"

He shook his head, chuckling. "Yeah?"

"Seriously?!" she asked, shaking him.

"Seriously." he nodded.

Juvia smiled the biggest, brightest smile he had ever seen on her face. Then Gray watched as she inhaled, dramatically closed her eyes, raised her hand in a shaking fist, and let out a breathless triumphant whisper of _"YES!"_

Gray didn't know whether to laugh or thoroughly question reality, so to be sure, he tried to verify: "You know I saw you do that, right? You know you actually said 'Yes' and fist-pumped? In front of me? In real life?"

She nodded enthusiastically, still smiling her winning smile. Juvia just made herself comfortable with her head on his chest as he stroked her hair all the while shaking his head in disbelief. How does someone go from _'shy helpless puppy'_ to _'badass dancer with mad skills'_ to _'actual awkward adorable dork'_ in a span of seconds?

Yep. A roller coaster.

And all he was able to say to that was, "Wow."

.

.

end of ch. 10

.

* * *

 **A/N:** Juvia's 'yes' reaction is my reaction after having successfully written down this chapter.

Like... how do I make two people who have never danced with each other... y'know, dance with each other in sync? I know the movies let the pair do an "impromptu" number so perfectly, but I didn't want to do that here exactly. So I made their first duet a bit uncoordinated, and full of quick exchanges of instructions and leads to keep the thing from falling apart. I dunno, but that makes it more special for me.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- The song described before 'Laughter Lines' (the one Gray was just listening to) is actually _'Like Real People Do'_ by _Hozier_. It was originally the song I wanted them to dance to, but I wanted something faster and slightly upbeat, since Gray and Juvia had a little competition going on in the routine.  
\- I also considered _'A Million Miles Away'_ from _Aladdin on Broadway_ , y'know? But my Sparks!Gray wouldn't really have that song ready on his phone, so. Yeah.  
\- The Gray-and-Juvia _'Laughter Lines'_ dance in this chapter had several inspirations. Look up the _'Falling Slowly'_ and _'Clarity'_ routines from _So You Think You Can Dance_. You won't regret it. :D **  
**

 **Next Chapter: There will be singing.**  
 _Lucy rolled her eyes. "Gray, please shut up and let me finish."_  
 _He shut up, but looked at her pointedly, meaning business._  
 _She beamed. "Saturday night this weekend. D'you have plans?"_


	11. Sixteen Going On Seventeen

**A/N:** YAS IT HERE.

We have singing again! And this time, it is a classic!

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 11:**  
 **Sixteen Going On Seventeen  
 _("_** _Fellows I meet may tell me I'm sweet_  
 _and willingly I believe!")_  
\- The Sound of Music

.

Gray was making a sandwich. Just a simple one. He stood by the kitchen counter, took out some bread, spread peanut butter over it… and voila, it was done.

It was a quiet afternoon and he was alone in the house so he took this time to just lounge by the living room with the newspaper's classified ads section and Levy's trusty laptop that she lent to him before she went out earlier in the day. She actually asked him if he wanted to tag along - she felt like taking to the streets to perform something - but he wasn't really feeling up to it so he told her to go ahead and enjoy.

But as soon as Gray finished making his snack and was about to go back to job hunting, he heard the familiar sound of heels against the floor to signal someone approaching.

Lucy's face brightened as soon as she saw him. "Gray! Perfect timing!"

He didn't understand why the blonde was so happy to see him so he came up with the most logical reason. "Um, no. Make your own sandwich."

"Not that!" she laughed her usual good-natured, cheerful laugh before striding towards him and latching on to his arm. "C'mon, c'mon, we have to talk!"

Gray also hadn't figured out how she always sounded like she was singing. But hell, she sounds great so he never complained much. He just raised an eyebrow as he took a bite of his sandwich while she dragged him back to the couch and made him sit with her.

Then he remembered what everyone was bugging him about these days. "Oi, if you're gonna go off like the others and tease me about Juvia again-"

"Not that either. Don't worry." she assured him, then paused. "Well, maybe a bit."

"See? I swear-"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Gray, just shut up and let me finish."

He shut up, but looked at her pointedly, meaning business.

She beamed. "Saturday night this weekend. D'you have plans?"

"Uh, not that I know of. Why?"

"See, I've got this little concert on that night..." she started, and he waited curiously while she rummaged through her bag. "Cana asked me to get a couple tickets for her, she was planning to go with her dad and a couple of friends. But they had to cancel, and now I've got…" she finally found what she was looking for, and took out a set of familiar-looking black envelopes. "Four spare tickets!"

Gray stared at them.

"Oh, but one's taken already. So _three_ spare tickets!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go?"

"If you want to."

Gray frowned. "I'd love to go, you know that. But I don't exactly have money to pay for tickets right now."

She laughed. "Silly, it's my treat."

This time he raised an eyebrow. "What about Natsu?"

"He's got work that night."

Gray looked at the tickets she held in her hands. "You're seriously giving me those? For free?"

"Cana treats me tickets to her shows all the time anyway." the blonde shrugged. "This time, I was thinking… you know WHO would be really happy to finally see a live performance on stage? It's not a big musical production, but I'll be singing a ton of songs from my previous shows, so…"

He needed no further explanation. "Juvia would literally faint, you know."

"Mm-hm, so better be there with her to catch her." Lucy said, a knowing smile on her face as she offered the tickets to him.

It sounded too good to be true, really. But then this was Lucy. Gray never doubted anything happy and nice when it came from Lucy. She's just that kind of person.

He took the tickets and looked straight at her with a small smile. "I owe you one."

Lucy just chuckled. "Have a great time and you owe me nothing."

With that, she leaned over, kissed him sweetly on the cheek, stood up and was on her way to Natsu's room, humming.

Gray just scratched his head gingerly as he looked at the four tickets in his hand.

Wait - _four_?

"Hey, Lucy, I thought one's taken?" he called after his friend.

She stopped by the bottom of the staircase. "Oh, yes - please give that one to Levy-chan when she comes back. I just have to grab a couple of things here and I'm off again. I've got dinner with dad tonight."

"How 'bout the other one?"

The woman shrugged, already well on her way up the stairs. "You guys find someone, I guess?"

* * *

Their fourth person ended up being Gajeel. Gray dropped by the CD shop to bring the tickets, and Gajeel vehemently refused when they first asked him. Juvia threw him the puppy eyes, and Gray told him that the ticket will go to waste, and that everyone else had plans on Saturday night. Gajeel still refused.

That was until Gray shoved his phone towards the guy's face to show him a message. "Here, Levy has something to say to you."

It read: ** _'Kindly tell him to be a dear and please don't let me third-wheel alone.'_**

Gajeel finally, grudgingly agreed.

Problem solved. Until another one popped up.

"Saturday night..." Juvia started. "That's tomorrow!"

Gray blinked. "Yeah, you have somewhere to be?"

"No, but..." then the woman looked down, her expression that of misery. "Juvia has nothing to wear."

Gajeel also scratched his head. "Yeah, it's gonna be one of those rich people concerts, right? I don't have clothes for that."

Gray just sighed. "Y'know what, don't worry 'bout it. Just go to the Guild tomorrow. Juvia can borrow from the girls. They'll be very happy to help you, and most of 'em should be your size."

Juvia looked hesitant. "Is Gray-sama sure?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure." When he caught Gajeel casting him a suspicious look, he rolled his eyes. "I don't go through their closets, man. It's just that I've danced with all of 'em, most of which require me lifting or holding them, so I have a rough idea of their size."

"You don't say I borrow from them too, right?" Gajeel deadpanned.

"Just wear a plain shirt and your darkest jeans. Without the rips. We'll find a suit jacket in the house somewhere." Gray shrugged. "Don't sweat it too much. Just turn up at the Guild and we'll do something about it."

* * *

That was how Juvia found herself in Erza's room that Saturday afternoon, sitting in front of the dresser mirror, with Erza busy applying make up on her face while Evergreen brushed her hair.

They found her a nice white strapless dress that fell in little frills a few inches above her knees. The women thought it was perfect because of the shiny blue flower-shaped rhinestones that shone in the edges of the dress. It took only some minor temporary adjustments with Freed's help for the dress, which was one of Erza's old dance outfits, to fit snugly on Juvia.

"Your bangs are pretty, we'll leave it like that." Evergreen said, running her hands through the strands of blue hair framing the woman's face. "Now about the rest… I think a nice plait would look good on you. How 'bout that?"

Juvia only said, "That would be wonderful, Evergreen-san."

"Hm… you have great eyelashes..." Erza commented absently, looking closely at Juvia's face as she contemplated on the make up.

Juvia blushed. "Thank you, Erza-san..."

Erza herself was wearing a long dark blue cocktail dress. She wasn't going with them to the concert, but she would be attending a ballet recital. Erza's boyfriend was one of the choreographers and also a principal dancer. Also, one of her friends will have a solo number. Juvia would love to meet those people someday, too.

Behind them, Levy was sitting on the bed and trying to pick a nice cardigan, scarf or jacket for Juvia among the ton of clothes almost everyone contributed. She was ready, wearing a black blazer on top of an orange and white dress, black stockings and black shoes. Her usually messy hair was tied up into a neat ponytail.

During the full hour that they've been fussing over Juvia, the woman had thanked them all profusely for their help. She felt a bit like a charity case at first, but then Levy, Erza, Evergreen and the others were just genuinely happy to dress her up.

As Evergreen started styling Juvia's hair to make an elaborate braid behind her head, the blunette spoke up. "May Juvia ask something?"

"Shoot, girl." Evergreen said.

"Everyone here are such good friends and they met through Laxus-san's grandfather, right?"

"Mostly everyone." Erza said.

"Including Lucy-san?"

"That's different." Erza answered patiently. "Lucy's not a foster child. You know about her parents, right?"

"Jude Heartfilia-sama is a music producer of a lot of major artists." Juvia answered.

"Owning Fiore's biggest music production company gives you that credit." Erza added.

Juvia continued, "Layla Heartfilia-sama was also a stage actress and singer. She worked with Aquarius-san, right? For that one musical… Everyone said she would have been really successful with more big projects if she didn't… pass away too soon."

"Yup." the red-head had taken it upon herself to continue the story, since both Evergreen and Levy were occupied. "So Lucy and her dad are always in a lot of galas and high society events. That's how we met her. How Cana and Natsu met her, anyway."

"Cana-san and Natsu-san?"

"Before Cana made her debut in Glitter, she was just like us, you know. She had a day job while she keeps auditioning for a part in all sorts of stage plays and musicals. Back then Cana was still working with Gray and Natsu in a catering company. So one time, Cana and Natsu were working for one of the events that Lucy was attending with her dad. I don't know the whole story, but somehow she escaped to the kitchens where Natsu was working, and he helped her hide out for a while and they talked a bit. Then Lucy had to go back, but before she could return to the party, there was an accident and someone spilled something on her dress. Natsu asked Cana to help."

"So it really was an accident?" Juvia blinked.

Erza had a small fond smile on her face as she nodded. "And… well, because Lucy was a regular at these events they eventually met again. This was around the time she was having disagreements with her father, I think. So I think she found their company comforting. Then finally one time Cana and Lucy met when they were auditioning for a show. It was a long line. They recognized each other and I guess it just sort of clicked. They didn't get the parts, but after that, Cana took Lucy here and that's how she met everyone. I guess she liked this place so she often came over to hang out. She auditioned with Cana for a lot of roles, and eventually they saw the casting calls for Glitter."

"Lu-chan always told me they probably wouldn't have gotten the parts if they didn't audition together." Levy added. "It was known that the show's gonna have two leading female roles, so they thought that instead of auditioning separately like everyone else, they'll perform at the same time, because that way they can show that they already have chemistry and they can work together."

"It worked like a charm, as you know." Evergreen said, as if to cap the story at the same time she finished doing Juvia's hair. She was grinning approvingly at her work. "And the rest is history."

Juvia nodded in awe. All the articles and interviews out there always started with how the Cana and Lucy auditioned together, that they were very different people but worked together with a common goal. Now that Juvia knew them, she always wondered how they met. They had very different backgrounds, after all.

They were both legacies, though. Juvia knew that much from the media. Lucy never made her family background secret although she admitted that it was very much a source of pressure. Cana readily confirmed the rumors when the media revealed that she may be the daughter of famous theater actor Gildarts Clive. She simply stated that it was true, she has a good relationship with her father, but simply avoided advertising it since she wanted to start her career without the expectations that come with being a legacy.

Juvia thought that they both didn't have to worry about that, though. Their stage debut and their fruitful careers after that was proof enough that they were capable of making a name for themselves on their own.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a knock on the door was heard before it was opened.

"We found it!" Freed announced his arrival with that, holding up a cropped dark gray fur jacket. Evergreen and Erza made way for him to drape the item across Juvia's shoulders and help her slip her arms through the sleeves that ended exactly by her elbows. He smiled in satisfaction as he made sure it fit comfortably on Juvia. "I knew Mira had this. Lisanna just didn't know where she kept it so it took us a while to find."

"I'd say it's worth the trouble." Evergreen remarked.

"It's perfect, Freed!" Levy marvelled.

Juvia nodded. She hardly recognized herself now. "Thank you for this, Freed-san!"

The man shook his head and smiled. "It's no big. We don't always get to dress up around here. Nice work on the hair, Ever."

As the women went back to finishing up, there was a knock by the open door before Gray curiously peered inside, already decked in semi formal wear. A dark gray blazer on top of a white shirt, black pants and leather shoes. As usual, he wore his silver cross necklace.

"Um, hello?" he greeted tentatively. When they all looked at him, he caught sight of what they've done to his girlfriend, and he raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Okay, that's… I just thought you ladies are gonna put her in a dress and shoes but that works, too."

"Really?" Evergreen demanded, eyes narrowing behind her glasses. "'That works too', that's it?"

Gray backed away a bit. "What I mean is, you're all doing God's work here, thank you. Juvia, you look wonderful. With… the dress and fur and whatever happened to your hair it looks impossible and all."

Erza had to support Juvia so she won't fall off the chair as she tried to hide behind the red-head.

"Is it time to go already?" Levy asked, checking the time on her wristwatch. "I thought we're leaving at 7?"

"No, uh. There's just a tiny issue..." Gray started, then stepped inside.

Gajeel walked out from behind him gingerly. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with a wide collar, dark-colored pants and combat boots. In short, he was still wearing the same stuff from when he arrived with Juvia to the Guild.

"I might've underestimated his size." Gray admitted. "Our suit jackets are too small for him. Except Elfman's. Too big."

"They won't let me wear my leather jacket." Gajeel grumbled.

Everyone said, "NO."

He rolled his eyes and cursed, then stopped when he caught Freed looking at him critically. "W-What?"

The designer walked over to the raven-head and placed his hands on the man's shoulders.

"What're you doing?" Gajeel asked, and when Freed just proceeded to pick at his clothes, he looked towards the others for an explanation. "What's he doing?"

"Measuring you." Evergreen provided.

Then Freed sighed, before saying, "Alright, you come with me. Sixth floor. Laxus has several button-ups about your size, and I know he's got a nice blazer. I put it there." and exiting the room.

Gajeel looked at the others and when they all practically shoved him out the room, he just decided to follow the other man as instructed.

Gray was about to say something when they heard Freed's distant call. "You too, Gray!"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?!" Gray shouted back. He looked honestly offended as he quickly left the room to follow the other two men.

Meanwhile, the women exchanged amused looks as they listened in to Freed's lecture.

 _"Levy and Juvia look gorgeous and I won't stand for their dates looking like peasants!"_

That was followed by _"I'M NOT A PEASANT!"_ and _"We're third-wheeling together, that's NOT dating!"_

And then Laki arrived, a proud smile on her face as she raised a pair of silver strappy heels. "Did someone ask for nice shoes on my size?"

* * *

Things were, strangely enough, less hectic in the concert hall's dressing room. Lucy chose to keep things simple. She insisted on no fancy make ups, going for a natural look. Her long blonde hair wasn't in an updo, she just had her bangs styled and the rest of her hair curled into soft waves falling on her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear. She had three outfits for the night, her first one a strapless midnight blue evening gown with light silver accents. She thought it was a nice callback as it was reminiscent of her character in 'Glitter', too.

Tonight's concert was far from being Lucy's biggest event. It was actually quite a small affair, with barely 500 people in attendance. She just had a small band and her pianist, Capricorn, for accompaniment, and a single microphone on a stand for her and her songs. She was to sing a selection of pieces from her musical roles, a few originals, and some pop songs - mostly ballads because those were her forte. This was already the fourth event in a series of six small concerts. She had her set list down by now.

So a few minutes before the show started, she just sat alone in the dressing room, trying to keep calm and breathe easy because after all this time she still got nervous before performing. There was already a bunch of flowers and gifts in front of her, but it paled in comparison to musical performance nights, where the whole dressing room would be brimming with the things.

Her meditation was only interrupted by her phone beeping. She picked the gadget up to check, and smiled when she saw Natsu's name in the alert.

 ** _'is the show starting yet? go get 'em tonite lucy!'_**

The blonde just chuckled as she typed in her reply. Just as she hit the 'Send' button, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." she called out.

The door opened to reveal one of the show's organizers. "It's time, Miss Lucy."

Lucy nodded as she stood up and took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's start."

* * *

"Ah, there. I found Cana." Gray whispered. They arrived just in time and easily found their respective seats in the concert hall.

Juvia and Levy sat beside each other, busy talking about the concert, while Gray and Gajeel sat on either side of them. When Gray spoke, Juvia and Levy turned towards him and he subtly pointed towards one of the private upper boxes. Just as he said, Cana was there, in a daring red dress. She was sitting with a familiar man with dark orange hair and wearing an expensive-looking suit.

"Is that _Gildarts Clive_?" Juvia asked, starstruck. The man was a household name in Fiore, a well-known actor in both stage and television, and now a reknowned producer and mentor to younger celebrities.

"You know he's her dad, right?" Gray replied.

Juvia knew that, but she was still awed, watching the two laughing easily with each other. That was when another man came in, this time with slicked blond hair and a moustache. Juvia recognized the signature brown suit and the uptight expression.

Before she could ask, she heard Levy say, "Oh, there's Lucy's dad. It's good he can make it."

"You guys know a lotta famous people." Gajeel remarked, picking at his hair. Freed hadn't let him go until he had it sleeked and tied back. Gray watched the whole scene with a smug smirk on his face and Gajeel would have punched the guy if Juvia didn't like him so much.

Then as Cana was looking around the audience, she spotted them and smiled widely. She tugged at her father's sleeve and pointed towards them. Gildarts squinted a bit before both father and daughter waved happily to their group.

"And they saw us." Gray said, raising a hand back in greeting. Juvia looked around and saw Levy waving back at them as if this was the norm, so she simply did the same, albeit gingerly. They watched as Cana said something to Jude, and the man eyed them shortly before nodding towards them in acknowledgement.

Then the lights slowly dimmed, and there was a general hush among the people in the hall. There was an announcement that the show will start soon, followed by the usual reminders - keep phones on silent, recording was not permitted, the locations of the emergency exits and the like.

As they waited for the curtains to open, Gray felt a soft tug on his sleeve and looked beside him. For the umpteenth time that night, he caught himself thinking that Juvia looked downright stunning. "What is it?" he asked in a whisper.

She was fiddling gingerly with the fabric of his jacket, looking up at him with a light blush on her cheeks. "Juvia just… wants to thank Gray for taking Juvia here."

He blinked, wondering where that came from, but didn't think too much about it and just twined his fingers with hers. Was this how Lucy felt when she gave him the tickets? "Just enjoy yourself, that's enough for me."

She smiled at him, and he got a great view of it as the curtains opened and light from the stage streamed in. Then her eyes were on the stage, taking it in - the small concert band, the conductor, the grand piano, and the spotlight trained on the microphone stand in the center of the stage.

There was silence from the audience as the conductor counted down and the band started playing. Juvia drew a breath, recognizing the song as one of the pieces from 'Glitter' just as Lucy walked in, seemingly glowing under the spotlight, her blue dress shimmering like a starry night sky.

"Lu-chan, you're so pretty..." Juvia heard Levy whisper.

"Good evening everyone." Lucy said, her soft but strong voice clear above the music. "I am Lucy Heartfilia, and I hope you all enjoy tonight."

* * *

.

The show was even better than what Juvia expected - and she expected it to be great. She recalled the articles about Lucy and Cana when they first completed their run in Glitter - a lot of critics stated that the two might not be as good when they go their separate ways, or they might fall short on their endeavors after their first show. They were proved wrong, obviously.

Lucy was nothing short of brilliant that night, carrying herself with grace as she offered the audience her strong vocals and great performance, even when she sang alone on the stage with only the band behind her. She was also a great hostess, entertaining her guests with little quips, jokes and anecdotes during short breaks.

Juvia thought that maybe it's just her, being overwhelmed on her first time in a musical diva's solo concert. But both Levy and Gray on either side of her kept saying that Lucy's performance was something else this time around.

There was a short twenty-minute intermission in the middle of the event. When the curtains opened up again, there were now two microphone stands and two matching high chairs in the middle of the stage.

On one of the chairs, Lucy sat, her legs crossed. She had changed into another outfit, this time a sleeveless vintage rose-colored dress with black lace designs, ending by her knees. It was a classic but more casual look, reflecting the more intimate and laid-back part of the show.

"Hello, everyone!" she greeted cheerfully. "We're back, and on the second half of tonight's show. Again, thank you all for coming to see me."

There was a general murmur of appreciation from the audience, and Lucy bowed her head gratefully as they clapped their hands.

"Since this is the fourth session now, I'm guessing quite a number of people have posted about it already, so it's not such a big surprise anymore..." she continued, looking thoughtfully at her audience. "Every week, I invite a special guest over to spend the second half of the show with me. Actually, last week it was my dear friend, the very wonderful Cana Alberona, who is also in the audience tonight. Hey, Cana!"

There was a round of applause, and Lucy extended an arm to acknowledge the other woman. Cana stood up and took a gracious bow to the audience before sitting down again.

In their seats, Gray leaned over a bit to whisper to Levy. "Do we know who it is tonight?"

"I didn't check." Levy answered. "I'm not even sure there's something to check. Lu-chan didn't tell me about it either so maybe it really is a surprise thing."

Lucy went on, "Now tonight, I'd like to call on this special person… very dear to me, because we spent quite a time working with each other while doing 'Glitter', and a few other projects after that."

"Ah, I think it's him." Levy said then, earning her questioning looks from Juvia and Gajeel while Gray just shook his head, bemused.

"So without further ado… everyone please welcome to the stage, none other than the very handsome and talented Loke!"

There was a roar of applause as the man stepped out from the side of the stage, in his trademark tailored suit and tie, carrying a large bouquet of red roses. He had his dazzling smile on as he walked across the stage. Lucy met him in a hug as he gave her the bouquet and a kiss on her cheek. Then he helped her back on her high chair and bowed to the audience.

"Good evening, everyone!" Loke greeted as he sat on the empty chair beside Lucy's, and if it was even possible, the applause just grew louder.

"I knew you guys would like that!" Lucy said mischievously, making her guests laugh.

"It's my pleasure to be here with all of you tonight." the man continued after the laughter had died down. "And Lucy, you look absolutely beautiful, my love."

"Stop it." she warned.

He raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Is it working?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It is."

That earned another around of laughter. Everyone who had watched interviews with the two would probably know right away that the two always shared a playful and flirty working relationship.

"Okay! So back to the show… during the break, my staff asked some of you to suggest a song that you would like me to sing. There are lots of nice suggestions! But there's something that caught my attention. Because someone requested me to sing anything - anything at all, as long as it's from a classic Broadway musical." she exchanged a look with Loke, and he nodded. "So I brainstormed with Loke a bit, and we came up with something."

"It's a pretty special song." Loke added. "For both of us."

"And… Would you guys mind if we tell you a really… _really_ short story?" Lucy asked. There was a general chorus of encouragement from the audience, and she smiled. "I don't think we ever told this to anyone before."

"That's right." the man nodded. "You heard it here first."

"So… we've done a lot of interviews together. And we always said that we met each other through 'Glitter'. We don't usually count the gala events we both attended when we were about seven, ten years old because we don't remember most of that… What we've never told anyone is that actually we've met before we worked together on 'Glitter'."

Loke added, "And fun fact, we only recently remembered it ourselves. It's been a few years, and it's a really short encounter."

"I was sixteen." Lucy said, voice shaking a bit. It was obvious that she was feeling slightly embarrassed. "And you were...?"

"Nineteen." Loke provided. He was also smiling a bit bashfully. It made the audience more curious about their story.

"So around then, there was big news about a revival of this Broadway musical. There was a casting call, and of course I was a hopeful so I went in line." Lucy glanced at Loke for a moment before continuing. "Turns out, Loke was also auditioning for a part, and we came on the same day. So there I was, all day in the really long audition line, and I was watching some of the guys on the other line. There's a big buzz among the girls, see. Because the two roles being auditioned for that day were each other's romantic interest. So…"

Loke picked up where she left off. "Both sides were picking out who they want to be paired up with if they ever get the part. Room full of hopeful teens, bored and waiting for their turn, it was unavoidable. Anyway, pretty soon both sides started chatting each other up. I… well, I went with the flow, of course. There was this pretty blonde auditionee and she was a bundle of nerves. I thought I'd talk to her."

"He was already in a ton of magazines and movies back then." Lucy said, exasperated. "And on a normal day, I would've recognized him but that day I was very distracted and feeling all nervous about my piece, and he was wearing these _nerd glasses_ and a really tacky _beanie_. He didn't look like his normal self. At all!"

There were already several chuckles from the audience by then.

"I just tried not to draw attention to myself." he said, trying to hold back a laugh. "I remember there was a big billboard of me advertising a clothes brand or something right outside the place."

To most of the audience, the two of them looked very much like friends recalling an embarrassing memory.

"And I guess it worked, because he just… didn't look the part, what with that disguise. But then we started talking, and going over stuff like childhood memories of the old run of the show we're auditioning for and then…" At this, Lucy chuckled, covering her face with a hand. "Then I got called in, and of course my name was mentioned, and he looked at me like _'What? I know you!_ '"

The audience were cheering now, as Lucy just shook her head at the memory.

Loke chuckled. "Then after she got out, I just told her that, y'know, I worked with her mother once."

"No really he literally said, _'Hey, I worked with your mom once.'_ "

He continued, trying to stifle his laughter. "So she said she doesn't remember me. Then it was my turn to get called in. And yeah, I guess my name was familiar, there were already all these people looking at me so… I just took off my beanie and the glasses… and just sorta told her that… it's nice to meet her and I gotta go."

"So I just stood there wondering what the heck happened. Because… like, the guy _transformed_! _Am I in a TV show? Where are the cameras?_ " Lucy continued as their audience laughed. Even the band and the conductor were all in various degrees of amusement. Both Lucy and Loke just shook their heads in embarrassment.

As soon as Lucy got her composure back, she continued her spiel. "Anyways, we didn't get the parts, obviously. I guess we still had a lot to learn back then. But! The key take-away was that, funnily enough, I actually thought it'd be nice to have _Mr. Glasses-and-Beanie_ as my partner. Even before I knew he was the same guy in the billboard outside. Who I had a huge crush on, by the way."

"And then," Loke followed, smoothly taking his microphone from the stand and hopping off his chair. "Years later, she's a lead actress and I'm her leading man."

The two looked at each other and laughed as the audience launched into a cheerful, happy applause, complete with cheers and whistles.

"So! Without further ado… here's the song we could have but never got to sing together." Lucy said, chuckling, also taking her microphone. Two staff members carried the stands away from the stage.

Loke nodded graciously. "Because really, if she got to play _Liesl_..."

"...I would have wanted him to be my _Rolf_." the blonde finished sweetly, then gestured towards the band that they were about to start. She stage-whispered, _"I feel really silly singing this song now."_ The audience laughed shortly but turned silent again as soft piano music began playing. "But here's a song from the classic, _'The Sound of Music'_."

As the rest of the band slowly joined the instrumentals, Loke lifted the microphone to his lips. He breathed deeply and waited for the band conductor to give him the go-signal before he started singing, his deep, rich voice filling the concert hall.

 _"You wait, little girl, on an empty stage…_  
 _for fate to turn the light on."_

The man walked leisurely towards the blonde woman in her seat, smiling charmingly as he sang.

 _"Your life, little girl, is an empty page..._  
 _that men will want to write on."_

He smirked and casually leaned close to Lucy, who then returned the grin and poked a finger to his chest to get him to step backwards.

Her voice matched his perfectly as she replied in song.

 _"To write on..."_

Then he shrugged, and launched into his half of the song.

 _"You are 16 going on 17, baby it's time to think._  
 _Better beware, be canny and careful._  
 _Baby, you're on the brink!"_

There was a short appreciative round of applause from the audience as he sang while walking around Lucy's chair.

 _"You are 16 going on 17, fellows will fall in line!  
Eager young lads and grueways and cads will offer you food and wine."_

Their connection was very visible, with Lucy raising an unimpressed eyebrow while he strolled nearby, projecting, expression all-knowing.

 _"Totally unprepared are you to face a world of men..._  
 _Timid and shy and scared are you of things beyond your kin!"_

It was obvious that Loke was giving it his all, even making a show of comically puffing his chest in confidence reminiscent of the original scene.

 _"You need someone older and wiser telling you what to do..."_

He walked towards her then, tucking her hair behind her ear before reaching out and taking her hand.

 _"I am 17 going on 18, I'll take care of you."_

Lucy made an exasperated look and shrugged towards her audience before humoring the man, letting him help her down her high chair as she sang.

 _"I am 16 going on 17, I know that I'm naive.  
Fellows I meet may tell me I'm sweet and willingly I believe."_

This time she was the one to lead him around the stage by his arm, expression teasing and at times challenging. She paused walking for a moment to give him a light tap on the nose, her smile cheeky.

 _"I am 16 going on 17, innocent as a rose!_  
 _Bachelor dandies, drinkers of brandies, what do I know of those?"_

Lucy was an actress, so of course she captured the youthful playfulness in her acting, taking her partner's hand and swinging it back and forth.

 _"Totally unprepared am I to face a world of men..._  
 _Timid and shy and scared am I of things beyond my kin!"_

She made a show of straightening his already pristine coat and tie for extra effect as she appeared thoughtful and worried.

 _"I need someone older and wiser telling me what to do..."_

Lucy leaned forward and stepped forward, daring, and Loke took steps back as she continued to advance.

 _"You are 17 going on 18, I'll depend on you."_

They both blinked when their accompaniment didn't stop playing the instrumentals, and Lucy asked out loud, "Oh, are we doing the dance part too?"

There were loud cheering and sounds of agreement from their audience.

The two looked lost for only a beat, but Loke whispered something quick to the blonde's ear and Lucy nodded. Both put their microphones down on the nearby chair and seemed to automatically fall into a classic closed position.

Lucy let him lead her into a graceful waltz in the middle of the stage, the spotlight following them. She laughed as he twirled her around, but didn't let him win that easily, also leading him into a turn. Loke said something that the audience didn't catch, and Lucy easily latched on to his neck as he hoisted her up by her waist in a half-carry and turned around several times. He stole a kiss on her cheek before he put her down. This earned them another round of applause.

Juvia watched the exchange as closely as she could. She hoped she could dance with someone like that someday. The pair were making things up as they go along while also making it look effortless, with the ease of experienced dancers who are fully comfortable with each other. They were talking as they danced, both of them giving instructions and cues. Juvia can see the level of trust they had between them as Lucy let him lift and carry her a few more times and Loke followed her lead navigating the stage. When it came for the number's signature ending, instead of going in for a kiss on the lips, Loke simply stepped back and kissed the blonde's hand as she curtsied graciously.

Then Lucy gave a quick queue to the conductor, and she and Loke managed to grab their microphones again just in time. The accompaniment slowed down, to finish the number with their own special version of the song's reprise. The pair faced each other in the middle of the stage.

Loke sang, not even sounding like he was catching his breath from the dance.

 _"You are 16 going on 17, waiting for life to start._  
 _Somebody kind who touches your mind will suddenly touch your heart..."_

Lucy followed, her voice just as clear.

 _"When that happens, after it happens, nothing is quite the same._  
 _Somehow I know I'll jump up and go if ever he calls my name."_

He held out a hand and she accepted it. He assisted her as she did a single slow pirouette while he sang.

 _"Gone are your old ideas of life, the old ideas grow dim._  
 _Lo and behold you're someone's wife..."_

Lucy sang the next line with a wistful smile on her face.

 _"...and I belong to him."_

Loke nodded proudly as he led her back to her chair, then helped ease her up to it.

 _"You may think this kind of adventure never may come to you._  
 _Darling, 16 going on 17, wait a year..."_

Lucy laid a hand on his shoulder as she continued.

 _"I'll wait a year..."_

They sang the last line in unison, their voices blending perfectly, a testament to how they've perfected singing with each other during the time they worked together.

 _"Just wait a year… or two."_

There was a loud and appreciative round of applause as they finished the song. The two looked at each other before thanking their audience and taking a bow. Then Lucy took the microphone again and spoke up. "Alright, now who wants to hear a song from _'Glitter'_?"

* * *

.

There was quite a bit of mingling among some of the audience members after the show. For their part, Gray, Juvia, Levy and Gajeel stayed because Cana had told them to. Juvia clung firmly to Gray's arm as she looked around, recognizing a number of familiar faces in the crowd. There were some famous models, actors, actresses and singers she was familiar with. Meanwhile, Levy and Gajeel stood behind them, mostly trying to keep out of their way, but also engaged in an easy conversation about the show.

Lucy had taken it upon herself to come down and greet some of the guests. She signed and took pictures with some fans, before her father walked up to her.

"Dad!" she welcomed the man with a warm hug. "I know you were busy… I hope you enjoyed it!"

Jude hugged his daughter back with a small smile. "Of course. You were wonderful tonight, Lucy."

"Thank you!" she said, smiling brightly.

He nodded, stroking her hair as she wrapped her arms around his torso. She only withdrew when Gildarts walked up to her.

"Brilliant as always, Lucy-chan!" the actor said in greeting. He laid a hand on top of her head. "I wanted to come last week, to see you and Cana-chan together, you know. My schedule didn't allow it. But I'm glad I went with her to see you tonight."

Lucy laughed lightly as they shared a short hug. "Thanks, Gildarts."

Across the room, Juvia let out a surprised squeak when Cana practically glomped at her. "Giiiirl, you look so pretty!"

"T-T-Thank you, Cana-san!"

The brunette grinned as she eyed the other woman's attire. "Let me guess, Freed and Ever?"

Juvia nodded gingerly.

Cana turned towards the others as well. "And Levy, you're killing it."

Levy simply smiled back at her friend and did a small mock curtsy.

Next came Gray and Gajeel. "Oooohh. You two look like sirs over there!"

Gray shrugged, while Gajeel just crossed his arms across his chest and looked away.

"We have to take a photo." the brunette said as she rummaged through her purse for her phone. "And yes, that includes YOU - Big Guy Levy's Date I Forgot Your Name - stop tryin' to escape because you're gonna hold this phone."

"Why me?" Gajeel grumbled.

"Because you've got the longest arm, duh." she answered, shoving the phone towards the man and pulling Juvia and Levy close. Gray knew there was no winning against her so he just joined their little huddled crowd. Gajeel did the same, grudgingly, but smiled a bit when they took the shot.

"Hey, no fair! What about me?"

They all turned around to see Lucy watching them, an amused smile on her face.

Levy was the first to snap out of it, walking forward to give her friend a hug. "Lu-chan! You were brilliant!"

"Thanks, Levy-chan." she said, hugging the other woman back. She looked at the rest of the group. "I'm glad you guys could make it."

When she stepped back, her friends all congratulated her on the successful show. Juvia thanked her for the tickets, and the blonde waved it off, saying that she was just glad that they enjoyed the concert.

Shortly after that, Loke also joined them, standing beside Lucy. "Well, here's a nice crowd. Cana, lovely to see you as always. And Levy! Been a while since I saw you in one of these shows."

"You were a surprise yourself!" Levy laughed as she shared a quick hug with the man. "Well-played, both of you." she said, eyeing both him and Lucy.

"Gray." Loke then nodded towards the other man, then finally noticed Juvia blushing beside his friend, starstruck. He blinked, surprised. "And am I seeing things, or did you really come with a beautiful lady by your arm tonight?"

"Funny." Gray rolled his eyes, but introduced his date anyway. "Loke, this is Juvia."

Juvia blushed and stammered as Loke took her free hand in his. "I-It's… It's a pleasure to meet you, Loke-san! Juvia is a fan of your work!"

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Juvia." Loke said, sending her his best smile before kissing her hand. "Your escort has quite a reputation, so I'd have to ask my friends for details later."

Juvia blinked and looked towards Gray, who just scratched his head gingerly and shrugged.

Then Loke was also introduced to Gajeel. The taller man looked a bit awkward - Loke was just too suave and had all-too-flawless manners - but he kept it formal and polite.

"Levy, your date?" Loke asked as he shook hands with the man.

The answer from both Levy and Gajeel was automatic. "We're just third-wheeling. Together."

Then Cana raised her phone again. "Alright, another picture! With Lucy and Loke this time!" she declared, handing her phone to Gajeel again. "Sorry, big guy, I don't make the rules."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, but accepted the gadget anyway. "Alright, huddle up real close or else we won't fit."

They did as instructed, Cana and Lucy pulled Juvia to stand between them while Gray and Loke positioned themselves behind the women. Gajeel joined them in the huddle, Levy tucked in front beside him, and he held the camera up.

"Alright!" Cana said. "Everyone say 'Lucy'!"

 _"LUCY!"_

For Juvia, that photo would be the best souvenir of the night.

.

.

end of ch. 11

.

* * *

 **A/N:** Look at him, there's my boy Loke. So proud of my son.

I think some people read the teaser for this chapter from the previous one and thought that I'm gonna have a Lucy-Gray-Juvia love triangle. Sorry, guys. I don't do love triangles. See, teasers can be misleadiiiing~ _Never believe theeeem~_

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- Before you guys bash me and tell me that _NOOOOO the reprise of 16 Going On 17 was actually sung by Liesl and Maria NOT ROLF!_ \- I know. I know that. But as said above, it was a special version. It just felt like a nicer way to finish the song rather than the kiss. And it kinda worked?  
\- For this one, I think everyone is familiar with the version in the classic movie, but may I also point you to the rather adorable version by _Ariane Rinehart and Michael Campayno_ that they did for the _Macy Thanksgiving Parade_ _2013_. IT IS CUTE. And was the primary inspiration for the number in this chapter. There's a video in YouTube. _It is very LoLu._ **  
**

 **Next Chapter: The trip home after the concert.**  
 _"What happened?"  
"Juvia broke up with him instead. That was a jerk thing to say."  
He stared at her for a good five seconds before laughing.  
"Then he said Juvia is crazy so Juvia punched him for good measure."  
"Good call."_


	12. I'll Cover You

**A/N:** This one is a pretty chill chapter. Just three little scenes before we return to action. And also more singing~

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

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 **Chapter 12:**  
 _("_ _Live in my house, I'll be your shelter,  
Just pay me back with one thousand kisses.  
Be my lover..._ _")_ ** _  
_I'll Cover You**  
\- RENT Musical

.

The walk home after the concert was mostly quiet. The excitement from the show faded out shortly after they left Cana, Loke and Lucy on the concert hall to mingle with the other guests. Now they were on their way back to the Guild, including Juvia and Gajeel, since they had left their casual clothes there and it wasn't too late in the night for a stopover anyway.

Levy hummed a tune absentmindedly as she walked beside Gajeel. A few steps ahead of them, Gray and Juvia were walking hand in hand, talking in hushed voices.

That was when they heard a familiar whistling sound, and the four of them looked up to the sky in time to see fireworks from a distance.

"Is there some kind of occasion or something?" Gajeel asked.

"Nah, those are from the beach." Gray said. "One of the hotels nearby have this five-minute fireworks display every Saturday night. I worked there once. They'll have another round in about half an hour."

"There are lots of people by the beach at this time." Levy added. "Not swimming, but… y'know, there are some bars and stands nearby. It looks really beautiful this time of night."

"Really?" came from Juvia, her expression curious.

"The whole shore's lined up with these pretty lights and lanterns." Levy nodded, then a thought struck her. "You've never seen it, Juvia-chan?"

"Juvia doesn't go out at night much." Juvia answered. "And Juvia has never been to the beach."

"You should take her there, Gray." the smaller woman said, an encouraging smile on her face as Gray blinked. "It's just a few minutes away. You can catch the next round of fireworks. Watch them up close."

Juvia shook her head shyly. "A-Ah, that's too much trouble."

"Not at all." Gray said quickly. "If you want to go, it's not that far. You should come see it, 'cause Levy's right, it's a sight during nighttime."

"But that's..." Juvia looked at them hesitantly. "How about Levy-san and Gajeel-kun?"

"No, you guys go ahead, don't worry." Gajeel answered this time, earning a smile from Levy in his peripheral vision. "S'not that late yet anyway."

Levy nodded. "We'll be fine. You two go!"

Gajeel and Levy watched the two leave, Gray leading while Juvia looked back at them and waved, smiling gratefully. Shortly after that, they resumed walking in silence again.

That is, until Levy yawned. To pick up the mood and feel less sleepy, she decided to talk. "You make a good wingman."

He snorted. "It's just… they like each other a lot. And s'been long since Juvia was this happy with other people."

"Gray, too." Levy said softly. "I mean, he's always been fine with everyone but he smiles a lot more lately, so… it's nice."

"Juvia's been pickin' up all sorts of stuff from you guys." he added. "Before, she's running out of dance steps and songs. Now she's considerin' all sorts of options and already came up with several routines. Guess it's good that she's hanging out with dancers."

She chuckled. "I'm still looking forward to seeing her dance, though! Gray said she's something else, and it's not that easy to impress him."

"She'll open up soon. She likes all of you already."

They felt a bit awkward being stuck together like this. Dinner together to talk about money was one thing - they both had a purpose. But that moment, except Gray and Juvia, they didn't really have anything to talk about. So they fell silent again as they reached the downtown area, and until they reached the Guild.

For a Saturday night, the Guild was peaceful too. Maybe it was because a lot of people were out. Levy took a mental tally - Erza was at Jellal's and Meredy's recital, Elfman and Ever must have gone out on a date too, Natsu was probably still working, Freed and Laxus were either upstairs or out, Bixlow must be having a night in watching movies or playing games, Mira and Lisanna told everyone they'd been invited to an event by some of Mira's ballroom studio students… Levy knew Jet and Droy slept early during Saturday nights, tired after their shifts at the mall. Either way, the third floor was empty, so it was just her and Gajeel again.

She handed him his clothes back and he changed into them while she went to the bathroom to wash off her make up and also change into her pajamas.

When she got out from the bathroom, he was sitting on the couch, looking through a photo album. He put it down when she walked up to him. "Found it on the table."

Levy blinked, leaning against the back of the couch as she looked at the item. "Hmm… Are those our embarrassing high school photos?"

"Mostly."

"Ah." she chuckled. "And you don't have to tell me, I know my hair is still as horrible."

He grinned. "You grew into it."

"Really?"

Gajeel shrugged. Then he picked up the bag he had previously dumped on the floor and retrieved something from it. He handed the item to his companion. "Here 'ya go."

Levy looked down at the item - it was a clear plastic CD case, and the disc inside was pure black, with the words 'tap mix for levy' written in it with silver metallic sharpie. There was a small folded piece of paper tucked inside the case as well. "This is...?"

"Your mix. As promised."

She looked at him. "...As promised?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember?"

She transferred to sit in the couch with him, looking at the CD. She opened her mouth to talk, closed it as she recalled something, and then looked back up at him again with a shocked expression. "YOU WERE SERIOUS ABOUT THAT?!"

He blinked. "What, you weren't?"

"I thought you were kidding!"

He stared at her blankly and she simply looked back, an embarrassed blush on her face.

.

 _It was on that dinner they had together, after he helped her out with the hat thief and provided guitar accompaniment for her tap routine. They talked quite a lot, and then she brought up the word he said before._

 _"Tap-ready?"_

 _It was the first time she heard that, then he admitted that he just made it up on the spot, and there were a couple of jokes thrown from both sides._

 _Then Levy told him that she had never really looked at songs with the intent to dance tap to them. Hip-hop and funk, maybe, but it wasn't her style when it came to tap._

 _As she had said it, "I don't really know a lot of 'tap-ready' songs." - because that was a word they share now. He said that it was weird, because she looked like she was good at dancing with accompaniment._

 _"I mean both times I saw you do it, you were practically winging the whole thing." he stated._

 _She chalked it up to experience and familiarity of the material._

 _Then he told her that he knew a lot of tap-ready songs and it was because "After I heard you tapping to MJ, whenever I hear a song, I evaluate if they're good tap dance accompaniment."_

 _"So… now you know a lot of them because… of me?"_

 _"For some weird reason." he huffed. "It's a good pastime, I give it that."_

 _"I'm not sure…"_

 _"Well, I betcha I can make a whole mix 'bout it."_

.

Levy remembered laughing good-naturedly and telling him that he didn't have to go through the trouble of doing that.

And yet here they were, sitting on the couch in the dark because they didn't bother turning on the lights, and she was holding the black CD.

Then Gajeel moved to take it from her. "Well if you don't want it-"

She immediately hugged it to her chest, leaning away from him. "No way! I love it!"

He looked at her pointedly. "You haven't heard it."

"Still!" she insisted, and she didn't know why she was blushing but she brushed that off. "It's the first time someone made a mixtape for me! So I love it already!"

"Y'know I did that out of boredom, right?" he asked, now very much weirded out.

"I don't care." she huffed, and looked down at the CD again. "Look, it's black and silver! It's so you. This is sweet."

"All of my CD's look like that." he provided for her benefit.

"Aww, you have a theme." she said, smiling fondly. "Who even makes mixes anymore?"

"Those of us who likes personal playlists."

She blinked. "My playlists are in _8tracks_."

"Fine, I'm an ancient person." Gajeel looked at the ceiling, giving up. There was no way he was winning against her, what the hell.

"I like ancient people." she shrugged.

The worst part was that he couldn't tell if she was just flattered, or if she was this actual awfully nice person like Juvia, or if by some major plot twist she actually likes him. He'll go for options 1 and 2, specially because she looks so cute in her pajamas and with messy hair.

"Is this the track list?" the woman asked as she opened the case and took the paper tucked in it.

"Knock yourself out." he answered, watching her unfold the paper, waiting for her verdict. He never gave mixes out to anyone, so seeing what she thought of it should be interesting.

"Hmmm… let's see." she squinted a bit because the only light she had to read by was from the window. "I know most of these… Here's the MJ song and _Footloose_ … I like the _Jason Mraz_ songs you put in here and… _Ed_ _Sheeran_? Sing?"

"That one's really dynamic, could use great percussions. There's another one there, Gold Rush. It's slower."

"Okay- Oh! _Maroon 5, Beyonce, Rihanna, Little Mix, Lenka_ …? I'd have to listen to them again to see if it works." then she looked up at him. " _Royals_?"

He nodded. "Why? Think it doesn't fit?"

"No, I just can't believe I haven't thought of that. I can practically see it already."

He smirked at her, expression smug, as if he'd won something.

She pouted. "Fine, you're good, okay? Stop making that face already!" Then she looked at the track list again. "Wait. _Adele_? As in _ADELE_?" - she would never have thought of that.

"Just give it a listen. You'll be surprised." he said.

She just sighed, considering it. "Alright, I give. I'll listen to these tomorrow."

"What d'you think about it so far?"

"I told you already, I love it."

"You're serious?"

"I consider it a present. I like presents." Levy shrugged. Then, she asked, "Will you be waiting for Juvia-chan? Or are you going on ahead?"

That made him pause as he thought about it. "I didn't think that part through. D'you think they'll be comin' back soon?"

"Depends on how much they enjoy themselves, I guess." she smiled. "You know she can sleep over here if they get back too late."

"Yeah, maybe I'll just go and leave her a message." he said, taking out his phone and proceeding to type a text for his friend.

Levy yawned. "And if she insists on going home to your place, I'm sure Gray would at least go with her, so she's safe."

He nodded as he sent the message.

"Give me your phone?" she said sleepily.

He raised an eyebrow but gave her the gadget. As she pressed several keys, he asked, "What're you doin'?"

"Calling my phone with yours, so I have your number. So I can tell you what I think about those songs you picked." she said simply. Then after that, she gave him his phone back. "Got it. Probably."

He looked at his phone for a moment before putting it back in his pocket. She was very direct, he thought. Barring Juvia, he wasn't too accustomed to the company of women - were they always this casual? Or maybe it was just Levy, who had a lot of guy friends so she was completely comfortable with their presence? He shook the thoughts off quickly. He was tired, and he should be on his way home.

That was just what he did, finally picking up his bag and standing up. "I'll see myself out then."

Levy nodded. "You take care."

"Yeah. Night."

"Good night."

After just a few steps, he heard her voice again. "Hey, Gajeel?" The man turned to look back at her. Levy was lounging comfortably on the couch, and she raised the CD case slightly as she smiled. "Thank you."

Really. Disarming. He should just tell her that she's got a knack for taking him off guard. Maybe she'd stop doing it.

He just scratched his head sheepishly, but cleared his throat to regain his composure as he replied, "You're welcome. And you get yourself to bed, shortcake. Don't pass out on the couch."

She giggled in reply, and waved at him as he left.

.

* * *

.

Gray and Juvia indeed got to the beach just in time to see the second round of fireworks. The vibrant display looked more beautiful with no tall buildings blocking the show. They stood by the concrete road overlooking the shore and the sea, and were treated to a nice view of the stalls and booths lined up in a neat row on the beach. There were a lot of people buying drinks and snacks, some of them walking around on the sand. A string of lights in different shapes and sizes lit up the edges of the beach.

"…and right over there is where I worked. I'm good friends with the boss, but it doesn't pay too much on real busy days. Sometimes it ain't worth the hassle." Gray said, finishing his short explanation of what he knew about the beach. He wasn't the best tour guide, but hey, he tried. "D'you wanna walk around?"

Juvia looked at him. "Is that okay?"

"We're here already. Might as well make the most of it." he shrugged, before starting to walk towards the beach. "C'mon."

She followed him quickly but they stopped when they set foot on the sand, her heels digging into it uncomfortably. They exchanged a short look before she crouched down to take off her shoes.

"Here, lemme hold it for you." he offered.

"Gray doesn't have to-"

"Don't worry 'bout it." he cut her off, taking the heels from her. He looked at them and raised an eyebrow. "Damn, you were in these all night?"

"They're Laki-san's."

"Is this how she always looks so tall?" Gray mumbled as they continued walking, Juvia keeping up with him easily now that she was barefoot.

The sand was cold against her feet, but she didn't mind so much. When she took off her fur shrug, Gray took that from her as well. She breathed deeply, savoring the night breeze on her shoulders and bare arms.

"So… d'you wanna check the stands, or just walk around? Take your pick." he said as they stood in the middle of the beach, Juvia looking enraptured at the different food and drink stalls nearby, the people celebrating and laughing with each other. There was also a live band playing in the distance.

She turned her back to the festivities and said, "Juvia just wants to walk around."

"You sure?"

She nodded, starting to walk the opposite direction, to where there were less people and shops, just some groups of friends, other couples and people walking their dogs, taking leisurely strolls along the shore.

"Juvia has never been to beaches much." she admitted as they walked together.

"Really?"

"Mm-hm." she nodded gingerly. "Maybe this is just the third or fourth time Juvia has been to a beach. But Juvia likes the sea. It's so peaceful like this."

Gray watched as she walked towards the sea and stopped when the water reached a few inches above her ankles. She had a little smile on her face as she looked down and watched the soft waves crashing against her feet. Then they resumed walking, but Juvia didn't leave the water and Gray just followed her slowly a few steps away, on the dry sand.

This felt like a new experience for him. He had been to the beach several times… heck, he went to the beach everyday when the job in the drinks stand was the only job he had, but he always came there to work. He couldn't remember the last time he was there just taking a walk and having a peaceful time. Similarly, he couldn't remember a time he had ever gone there with anyone alone.

When he mentioned this, Juvia stopped and looked at him, then down towards all the items he was carrying. He had both pairs of their shoes on his hands now, his blazer slung on his shoulder and her shrug tucked under his arm.

And she was just there playing in the water.

"Ah! Juvia can carry those too-"

"No way, it's fine. Just enjoy yourself." he said.

"But Gray-"

He continued, "You don't have to worry so much about being a burden. You're not."

That made her stop and stare at him.

"I just mean," he looked down, kicking some sand by his feet. "I know how that feels. Growing up a foster kid, y'know. Sometimes we're just so grateful that some people are willing to take us in and we think they've already done enough. We don't want to impose on them or anything. We don't want to get in anyone's way so we don't demand anything and just stay as invisible as possible. We all felt that way, Gramps told me once."

Then he looked back up to meet her eyes. "It's not that way anymore. I dunno much about how or where you grew up, but right now you can stop apologizing when people do something for you, as if you're not worth their trouble. They do it because they care about you and they like you. For real. That's all there is."

Juvia fiddled with the hem of her dress. It was Erza's dress, the shoes Gray was holding were Laki's, the fur shrug was Mira's, her hair was Evergreen's work, and this whole night was made possible by Lucy giving them free tickets. Despite this, they didn't make her feel like a charity case at all. They gave off a vibe that this is simply how they do things.

"It's just that… Juvia is still finding it hard to believe… that Juvia could find so many people like Juvia. And everyone… they're all so kind."

"Well I'm _real_ enough, am I?" he said, sending her a confident grin. "So go easy on the apologies. I'm your boyfriend, right? That usually means I like you and do stuff for you, so… just go and have fun, I'm good."

Juvia finally smiled, nodding.

Then she stepped forward and walked back towards him. "Juvia is still taking the shoes back-"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Hey, I just said-"

"-because Juvia wants to hold Gray's hand." then she took her heels from him, and held his now-free hand.

He smirked as he twined his fingers with hers, letting her pull him along the shore. She had a small skip to her step as they resumed their stroll. "You learn fast."

"Juvia has a great teacher." she chimed, giving his hand a small squeeze.

"Cheeky."

She giggled.

"You know, you're a really smooth talker when you try?"

"Does Gray like that?" she asked curiously.

"Gray likes it as long as it doesn't end up in bullying." he answered, grinning a bit. He felt silly using third person, but it was nice to be silly once in a while.

She moved in front of him then, turning so she could face him. She walked backwards so they were still moving. "Is Juvia weird?"

"Yes." he answered, without hesitation. "But I'm used to weird. Everyone's a little weird."

She thought about it before speaking up again. "Juvia once dated someone who told Juvia to start talking normally or he'll break up with Juvia because he didn't want to date a weirdo…"

His brows furrowed at this. "What happened?"

"Juvia broke up with him instead. That was a jerk thing to say."

Gray stared at her for a good five seconds before laughing.

"Then he said Juvia is crazy so Juvia punched him for good measure."

"Good call." he said, still chuckling as he pulled her back to his side so he can drape his arm across her shoulders. Juvia smiled proudly as she wrapped her arm around his waist in return.

They've gone a bit far from where they first started walking, so they decided to turn around and head back. There were less people now, but they preferred it that way.

As they walked, Juvia spoke up again, "Um… may Juvia ask for a favor?"

He looked at her. "What is it?"

"Can Gray teach Juvia how to dance duets too? If it's not too much trouble on top of coaching Juvia for the audition routine…"

"Huh. Your audition routine's going great, though. I'm not sure what else needs coaching about it. I think you should consult Erza or at least Laki about it, really. Or Lucy. They're the best contemporary girls in the Guild. And they come up with actual routines, unlike me."

"Does Gray think they'll like Juvia's dance?"

"For the hundredth time, yes."

"But Juvia is still not sure about the audition routine."

"All the more reason to ask the experts."

She hummed in consideration. She's only got several weeks before audition. The routine was good, but it was so similar to her first video entry. She needed something… more. Because she knew she can do more. So she still didn't think that it was ready - for the audition, for other people in general…

"And you want to learn partnerwork now?" Gray asked when she stayed silent.

Distracted, she nodded. "Juvia wants to dance like… like Lucy-san and Loke-san danced tonight. It wasn't planned but they knew exactly what to do… and they look great doing it. Juvia wants to get used to dancing with someone."

"That works mostly because they trust each other a lot, you know." he said. "You can nail down all the moves you need but if you don't trust your partner, it won't work."

"Juvia knows that."

He sighed and just laid his hand on her head. "Alright, I'll teach you, but I'm gonna ask for something in return."

"What is it?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Let Erza take a look at your dance, I'm sure you'll learn a lot from her."

They looked at each other for a moment before he finally asked, "Deal?"

She smiled a nervous smile, but nodded. "Deal."

.

* * *

.

Natsu came home at almost 3 in the morning, and even in his tired state, he recognized the strong scent of roses when he entered room. He stopped by the doorway in confusion, looking around to make sure he was in the right room, but sighed when he saw the several bouquets on his desk and chair, and the blonde sleeping on the bed.

He closed the door behind him as quietly as he could, and didn't turn the lights on, not wanting to wake Lucy up. Instead, he just fumbled for the desk lamp.

As soon as he was able to switch it on, he jumped as he saw Lucy awake and staring at him.

She said, "Natsu?"

 _"AHHHH!"_ he screamed, and stepped back only to trip over something. When she sat up and sleepily leaned over to check on him, he sighed, then groaned. "Lucy, you scared the shit outta me."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You didn't see me here?"

"I did, but you were sleepin'!"

"Sorry." she said, chuckling. "Welcome home."

"Yeah." He just shook his head, but smiled and waved it off. He stood up and opened his closet to change into more comfortable clothes. As he took his shirt off, he said, "I thought you'll be going home to your dad's tonight."

"I don't remember saying anything like that." Lucy yawned.

"Well, you had a show and all so I thought you'd sleep over there- How didja get all these flowers up here?"

"Loke was happy to help."

"Huh. Should've known. Gray and Levy came to watch, right?" he asked, running a tired hand through his hair. He had changed into loose cotton pants, and hadn't bothered with a shirt. "And uh… whositagain… Juvia and the big guy?"

"Mm-hm. Cana and Gildarts, too. And dad." Lucy replied with a small smile as she lifted the blankets for him to join her on the bed. He was visibly tired as he laid beside her, so she shifted to lean on her elbow to get a better look at him. "How was work?"

"Tiring." he closed his eyes and sighed deeply, his breath tickling her side. "I bet you're tired too, though… Why're you still up even?"

She shrugged.

"I wish I coulda watched you." he said, looking up at her with a smile. "But I know you were awesome anyway. What did yer dad say 'bout it?"

"He liked it." the blonde replied, running her fingers through his hair, smoothing out the tangles.

"He should." Natsu nodded, reaching out to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her closer. "It makes you really happy."

She smiled softly at that. After her mother died, she always had a rocky relationship with her father. He never opposed to her getting voice, music and dance lessons. He supported her training. In her early teens, even though her instructors told her she was good enough to try out for younger roles and troupes for dancers her age, she held herself back. Everyone always told her that she was her mother's daughter, that she would take after her mother - and that just intensified the pressure she felt. Then when she turned sixteen, when she finally started trying out for roles and contemporary dance companies, her father finally said _"Stop trying. You will never be like Layla."_ \- and the distance between them just grew. She kept trying, but her father's words weighed too much.

Then a few years later, she found Natsu, Cana and the others. Soon after, she and Cana landed their debut. She never thought of holding it to her father's face that she was successful now, but it surprised her when he approached her after the first live show.

She still remembered how he said he was proud of her, and told her that he was sorry for being so harsh. He just always saw that in all her attempts, she was trying too hard to take over her mother's mantle. He didn't want Lucy to be a replacement. He wanted her to be herself in her art, because she was different than her mother. He admitted that he could have handled it better, but with all his commitments in the company and her distancing herself so much, he failed to make amends. But Jude was glad that she overcame it anyway and embraced her individuality, making a name for herself on her own.

They have a better relationship now. And yes, as Natsu had said - her father coming to see her perform always made her happy.

"Lucy, you asleep?" he asked, pulling her back with him. "'Cause you should lay down properly if you're sleepin'."

She let out a little laugh. "Sorry, was just thinking, I guess."

"It's like 3 AM, what are you thinkin' about?"

"Um. My dad?"

"Happy thoughts or sad thoughts?"

"Happy." Lucy smiled. Natsu always had a way of reading into complicated things and making them easier to deal with. And he always this without even prying.

"Then that's fine." he said, not asking further. "S'long as you're happy. But also you should be sleepin'."

"How about you?" she asked, teasing.

"I'm trying to." he pouted. "I was ready to sleep but you're not asleep so now I can't sleep either. What the hell." When she just laughed, he continued. "You had Loke sing with you tonight?"

"Yep."

"What's the surprise song?" he asked. He always asked, because he already knew her set list beforehand (he always reads her notes) except the surprise song.

"It was great." she chuckled. "It's from the Sound of Music, _Sixteen Going On Seventeen_?"

He was silent for a while, humming in thought. "Is that the one where it rained and they danced and then they kissed and the guy ran away?"

"That's the one."

"Did you dance too?"

"We did."

"Aw, wish I'd seen it." he grumbled. Then he looked up at her with a guilty smile on his face. "Didja know I _never_ finished watching that movie 'cus I always find it _boring_ and I sleep like halfway through it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "But it's good."

"It's loooong…" he whined. "But y'know what? If you did it, I'll watch the whole thing."

"Really." she said, unimpressed.

"I will." he insisted.

Lucy poked his cheek playfully. "You'll get tired of me."

He was stubborn. "I won't. I can watch you ALL DAY."

She sighed, about to let him win, when he raised his hand to touch her face. "Natsu?"

"Nothin'." he said, brushing his fingers lightly against her cheek before placing his hand back on her waist. "M'just tired and you're too pretty and d'you know work today sucked? There were a lot of rude people in that party and the emcee was bad at his job so it was boring. My jaws _hurt_ from smilin'." He was drifting off now, she knew. His eyes were closed and he was tracing meaningless patterns on back. "But they don't hurt when I smile at you. I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too." she said, laughing a bit. He sounded tired and sleepy and he was rambling so it came out of the blue, but it still tugged at her heartstrings.

"Congratulations on the concert…" he continued. "I wanna hear you sing. But you're tired too, so I won't make you do that. S'it jus' me or I sound drunk?"

"Nah, you just sound sleepy."

"I sound drunk to me."

"Go to sleep, firebutt." she said, patting his arm gently. She started humming. Maybe it would help. It was a familiar song she came up with randomly, from another musical. Natsu wasn't a big musical nut, but she knew this one was one of his few favorites.

"Luce, not that song…" he complained. "I wanna sing that song. And I'm bad at singing."

Lucy just smiled, then started singing softly, slowly. The song was originally upbeat, but this time she sang it like a lullaby.

 _"Live in my house, I'll be your shelter._  
 _Just pay me back with one thousand kisses…"_

He opened his eyes then, looking up at her, smiling. She dropped a kiss on his forehead before continuing.

 _"Be my lover, I'll cover you…"_

She looked at him expectantly, wordlessly saying 'Your turn.' and he shook his head. "I'm not singing. I'll ruin it."

"You're being unfair. C'mon, don't leave me hanging." Lucy scooted closer, pouting.

He sighed. His voice was hoarse and tired, but he tried his best and sang in a soft voice just above a whisper.

 _"Open your door, I'll be your tenant._  
 _Don't got much baggage to lay at your feet._  
 _But sweet kisses, I've got to spare..."_

The next line, they sang together.

 _"I'll be there and I'll cover you."_

He groaned, embarrassed and trying not to laugh. "Lucy, I sound terrible."

"I sound terrible too." she shrugged.

Natsu huffed. "Shut up, you sound _glorious_. I quit. You're too good!"

"Are you serious? We can't not sing the chorus." she demanded stubbornly.

He groaned again, but followed her lead when she continued.

 _"I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love._  
 _Now I know you can rent it, a new lease you are, my love…"_

He wasn't the best singer, but he carried a decent tune although his voice cracked slightly. For the high notes, he let Lucy take over. Her voice, even soft and tired like this, was still music to his ears.

 _"…on life, be my life."_

Then Lucy went on, stroking his hair gently again, trying to lull him to sleep. He closed his eyes peacefully, his smile staying.

 _"Just slip me on, I'll be your blanket._  
 _Wherever, whatever I'll be your coat._  
 _You'll be my king, and I'll be your castle."_

It surprised her when he still sang the next line, catching her hand on his hair and twining his fingers with hers.

 _"No, you be my queen, and I'll be your moat."_

He smiled, kissed her hand sleepily and listened as she continued the song.

 _"I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love._  
 _Now I know you can rent it, a new lease you are, my love..._  
 _On life, oh my life..."_

Lucy laid back on the pillows, easing herself beside her companion slowly and carefully, not wanting to stir him awake. Natsu lazily turned towards her, pressing their foreheads together.

 _"I've longed to discover something as true as this is,_  
 _So with a thousand sweet kisses…"_

 _"When you're worn out and tired…"_ he added, his voice trailing off in a whisper.

Lucy smiled and couldn't help but nod. _"And when your heart has expired…"_

Natsu was asleep now, breathing evenly. It wasn't often that she sang him to sleep, but it seemed to be effective.

 _"Oh lover, I'll cover you."_

She finished the song with that, suddenly feeling sleepiness coming back to her. She adjusted the blankets snugly over the both of them, looking at Natsu's face, and laying her hand over his chest.

She smiled, finally closed her eyes, and joined her companion in slumber.

.

.

end of ch. 12

.

* * *

 **A/N:** See, I told you this would be chill. Next one's got a lot of stuff though!

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- I always thought ' _I'll Cover You_ ' would make a great lullaby song. This was one of the songs that were listed in my original outline and never left. **  
**\- Gajeel's mix is an actual mix I made when I was trying to come up with songs that Levy could tap to. **  
**

 **Next Chapter: Results! Back to dancing! Fun!**  
 _"I moved in last week… some of you guys even helped carry my things…?"  
"Oh, that's what it's about?" Droy asked.  
"We just helped you take 'em upstairs because you asked." Jet continued.  
_


	13. Uptown Funk

**A/N:** Fun. Just... y'know. Fun!

I mean with a song like this, it's just hard to write drama.

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 13:**  
 **Uptown Funk  
** _("_ _...gonna give to 'ya,  
Saturday night and we in the spot!  
Don't believe me, just watch!_ _")_  
\- Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

.

When Gray woke up on the morning after, his first thought was that he wouldn't mind it so much, seeing Juvia's peaceful sleeping face first thing every morning.

But then he caught sight of the time in the wall clock and the next thing he did was bolt upright and curse. "Crap! Aw, shiiiit. I overslept!"

He practically leapt out of bed, looked for his pants and hastily put them on. While he was looking for a shirt, he heard a soft voice calling him.

"Gray?" Juvia said, sleepily sitting up. She pulled consciously at Gray's oversized button-up shirt that she was wearing. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothin', I just overslept and Erza will probably kill me for making her cook breakfast alone 'cause we're on duty today." he replied quickly. "So I gotta go downstairs and see what I can do 'bout that. You go back to sleep if you wanna, or go join us if you're hungry. Really gotta run now. Good morning. See 'ya."

He dropped a quick kiss on her cheek and then he was out the door.

Juvia blinked, dazed and sleepy, then laid back on the bed. _What just happened?_

.

Gray got there and found most of his housemates already enjoying breakfast, talking heartily. He took the sight in for one second until a familiar voice called his name.

"Gray! Good morning!" came from Erza, setting down a pitcher of orange juice in the table. He looked up at her expecting a negative reaction to follow, but to his surprise she was smiling brightly. "Breakfast's ready, eat up."

He blinked as he walked towards her uncertainly. "Um, I overslept... Sorry?"

"It's alright. I had help." the red-head said.

That was when Gray finally noticed Jellal setting a serving of fried eggs down for the others before sitting with them. Lucy, the closest person, thanked him and then asked about the recital from the previous night. The two then started talking animatedly about the event.

Gray's attention snapped back towards Erza to catch her last words in time. "...and it's Sunday anyway, there's no rush."

"Oh… well. Okay. Good." he nodded, watching as Erza finally joined the others in the table.

"Hey, Juvia. Good morning." Gray looked up when he heard Warren's voice in greeting. Juvia was walking towards them sheepishly, still in Gray's button-up but having changed into her own shorts. "C'mon, eat up."

"We didn't know you slept over." Laki said, pulling the other woman to sit beside her. "Got back late last night?"

Juvia nodded, then looked up and smiled when Gray handed her a plate and some utensils as he joined them.

"You girls did a marvelous job on Juvia, by the way." Lucy chimed in. "She looked great last night."

"Well, we had professionals around." Laki said, laughing.

"Freed-san and Evergreen-san helped a lot." Juvia agreed. "Ah, but Erza-san's dress was really pretty! Thanks for letting Juvia borrow, Erza-san!"

Erza just smiled back and graciously said, "Anytime, Juvia."

"It's unfair, I never got to see any of you dressed up yesterday." Natsu groaned.

"Gray looked like a sir." Levy said, teasing.

Gray just rolled his eyes as he started eating. "Freed won't let me go otherwise." Beside him, Juvia just giggled and began putting food on her plate as well.

Others joined them shortly, all greeting them a cheerful but still sleepy 'good morning' as they each took seats in the table. It was a more peaceful morning than usual, with everyone taking their time eating and talking with their housemates, no one rushing off to go to work or do their chores.

Sundays are great. Juvia decided that she liked the Guild most during Sundays.

And then Cana, who had just gone down to join them, pointed out - "Is it me or is it crowded in here today?"

Everyone took a moment to look around. Yes, the table was full. Well, the table has been full for quite a while but somehow more people still managed to squeeze right in and no one was complaining. Although they were all quite sure that Evergreen was practically sitting on Elfman's lap, Natsu and Lucy were sharing a chair, and Bixlow was sitting on the table top eating while holding his plate up. Meanwhile Laki, Levy and Lisanna had already put two chairs together to cover the three of them. Not to mention Laxus was eating his food from Freed's plate. That's… That's what's happening over there, right? That's why they're having a forkfight over a piece of hotdog in that plate, right?

It actually looked pretty impressive. Cana didn't know they could get so competitive.

When Freed glanced up and saw the brunette watching them with a weirded out expression, he just blinked innocently. Assuming that he was expected to answer the question, he just said, "W-What? It's crowded because everyone and their girlfriends are here. Now don't look at me. I live here."

This made all of his housemates turn their attention towards him and ask, "Since when?"

"Since last week…?" the man answered, confused. "Why do you guys think I'm always here?"

"Because you're just… always here." Natsu pointed out. "Like Lucy's always here but she doesn't live here, she just sleeps in my bed and eats our food." then he faked a gasp. "Lucy, that makes you a freeloader- OWWWW."

By this time Cana had joined Bixlow in the sitting-on-the-table team, holding her plate of food up and eating while she watched her housemates try to figure out how they missed Freed moving in with them.

There was Lucy hitting Natsu, Elfman quickly trying to assure Evergreen that she wasn't a freeloader, Alzack and Bisca proudly saying they both pay rent, Jellal saying _'Do they realize I'm here too?'_ and Erza replying _'Ssshh, yes, you're my girlfriend.'_ \- Freed just ignored all of those and looked at everyone with furrowed brows.

"I moved in last week… some of you guys even helped carry my things…?"

"Oh, that's what it's about?" Droy asked.

"We just helped you take 'em upstairs because you asked." Jet continued.

" _YOU CARRIED A DRESS MANNEQUIN SIX FLOORS._ " Freed pointed out.

"We thought t'was for work!" the two complained.

Finally, the designer just turned towards Laxus with a concerned frown. "You said you'd tell them."

Laxus, who had been contentedly eating the piece of hotdog that he won from the other man, turned towards him slowly, expression blank. "I forgot."

This earned him a bunch of exasperated sighs and shouts of _"Seriously?!"_ from everyone else because _"That's not the sort of thing you forget, Laxus!"_ \- that one was from Evergreen.

He was about to defend himself until someone raised a hand and asked out loud, "Are you getting married soon?"

Everyone fell silent, and the couple paused abruptly. Freed, who had just held up his glass of orange juice to drink, put the beverage down slowly as if to say _'Thank God I wasn't drinking for that.'_ while beside him, Laxus looked down at the fork on his hand, expression unreadable. Maybe he was thinking about the answer to the question… or maybe simply how to kill a person with a fork.

People might have heard Jellal faintly whisper, _"I think if we plan to live together, you know, one of these days-"_ and Erza whispering back, _"-yes, I'll move in with you instead, that's… I think that's… better."_

And finally Laxus looked up to address the brave soul who asked him the question. The blonde merely raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Romeo. Why the hell are you even here?"

Romeo, who was sandwiched between Levy and Jet and heartily eating breakfast with them, just smiled toothily and shrugged. "I was bored at home?"

Freed joined in, squinting at the teen. "It's 9 AM on a Sunday. Go sleep in like a normal teenager."

"I'm not normal, I'm badass!" Romeo declared, raised a hand for someone to high-five. Cana humored him, even adding a fistbump.

"It doesn't make much difference now that you've moved in, anyway." Mira told Freed with a smile. "You're family. So should I add you to the headcount when dividing rent?"

Freed smiled back at the woman. "Sure. Thanks, Mira."

Everyone had returned easily to eating their breakfast and resuming their previous conversations. But then, in what felt like deja vu for most of the people in the table, Max came running in screaming again.

"EVERYONE! NEWS! Results are out!" the man exclaimed breathlessly. His was still in his shirt and boxers, his hair was still wet, a towel draped on his shoulders as he held his phone out. "We're… We're in!"

Evergreen, being the nearest person, grabbed his phone to confirm. She smiled brightly as she looked at the announcement in the phone screen. "He's right! These are the upvote counts and we're on third! The Guild! It even has our logo thing on it!"

The whole table erupted in cheerful celebratory cheers and applause. Their guests congratulated them. There were several hugs, high-fives and victorious fistbumps.

"This calls for a celebration!" came from Cana, raising her glass of orange juice up. "Let's do this, guys! DRINKS ON ME! Get the beer out!"

"Cana, it's morning!" Levy replied, laughing along with the others.

"Oh! Yeah!" the brunette snorted, but didn't put her drink down. "Well, let's toast to it anyway! And tonight, no one's stayin' home, we'll go out and PAR-TAAAAY! My treat!"

Everyone just raised their glasses and mugs up and clicked them against each other heartily. "Cheers!"

.

* * *

.

It was afternoon when Levy came into the CD shop, and Gajeel was busy putting price tags on a stack of CD's. She was about to do her customary cheerful greeting, but the man was in a conversation with two teenage boys.

"Really, sempai?! You're okay with that?!" Sting was practically bouncing.

"Look, why're 'ya even askin' me about this?" Gajeel rolled his eyes. "It's yer lunchbreak. Do whatcha want."

"But I usually just order take-out and eat in the back room…" Rogue said, concerned.

"I don't care what you do s'long as you're back on time." Gajeel replied. "So whatever, go on yer lunch date."

That made both boys blush. "I-I-It's not a lunch date! It's just lunch!"

"Again: I don't care."

But Sting leaned closer and pulled out his puppy eyes. "Can we extend for an hour?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the blonde, about to seriously kick him out from the shop - but he looked at Rogue and the kid was looking back at him hopefully. Dammit. He's such a good and responsible kid (and Gajeel's only decent part-timer in a while) that Gajeel felt bad denying him a favor. The man just sighed and nodded. "Half an hour."

"Higher?" Sting pleaded.

"Extra forty-five minutes, tops."

Sting grinned. "I'll take it. You're the best, Gajeel-sempai!"

"I'm not your sempai. Whatever. Just gay. I mean go. Just go. Away. Bye."

Without wasting a moment, Sting tugged at Rogue's arm and pulled the other teen with him. They met Levy on the way, and he smiled brightly at her and said, "Hello, welcome to _'For the Record'_! How may that guy over there help you? Just tell 'im!" before proceeding to exit the shop.

Gajeel called back. "Shut up and just go away or I'm firing you!"

"I don't even work here!" Sting shouted back cheerfully. Rogue, who just helplessly let his new friend drag him out the shop, was mouthing _'SORRY'_ and _'PLEASE FORGIVE'_ and _'WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN'_ in rapid succession towards his senior employee as they disappeared.

Levy watched the boys go with an amused smile on her face. When she turned towards Gajeel, she let out a giggle as she watched him rub his temples and sigh.

"Stop that." he told her.

"They're cute." she said, climbing up to sit on the chair across him, resting her elbows on the counter and looking curiously at the stacks of records he was working on. "Is the quiet one your brother? He looks like your brother..."

"No, he's just a part-timer." he answered. "He's fine, that kid."

"And the other one?"

"Boyfriend." came his grudging reply. "Or would-be boyfriend. I'm startin' to regret setting them up now. He just got more annoying and started hangin' out here more often playing that cat game in his goddamn iPad. He even named one after me." Then he looked at her. "Hey, I heard from Juvia. Congratulations on that contest thing."

"Ah, yes! We're really… everyone at home's going nuts over it. Our efforts paid off. It's great."

"You guys deserve it. That routine you posted was somethin' else."

"Thanks!" she said with an appreciative smile.

He nodded. "Why're you here, anyway? Need a record or somethin'?"

At this, her smile turned brighter. He didn't know that was possible, but he wasn't surprised too much. Since meeting her, she's been nothing but a bundle of surprises.

Pleasant ones, thankfully.

"Your mix." Levy started. She breathed deeply before exclaiming. "It was brilliant!

Gajeel blinked. "It is?"

"IT'S TOTALLY AMAZING!" she marveled, leaning forward excitedly. "I LOVE IT EVEN MORE! I ALREADY DANCED TO LIKE HALF OF 'EM!"

"Whoa, take it down a notch, shortcake." he smirked, leaning back a bit to put some distance between them. She was practically climbing on top of the counter now. It was cute. He didn't want it to be cute. When she calmed down a bit, he finally said. "I told you they work."

"Yeah! They actually do! Jet and Droy like them too!" she grinned. "But of course we have to rearrange the instrumentals because sometimes the really good tap parts get drowned out against the original percussions… Nevermind that for now, though! But they're all really interesting. Those Adele tracks you put in? How did you think of those?"

They spent the next half-hour going through his track list, then after he told her about how he found the songs, he listened as she talked about them for dancing. She told him about coming up with good routines and interesting combos, how Jet and Droy approved and all three of them agreed to use some of the songs for their next routines. She went into details about some tap dance stuff, and he could barely understand more than half of it, but he didn't dare interrupt. There was something about how she talked so enthusiastically about this thing she obviously loves so much, and he was finding her joy contagious.

She reminded him a bit of how Juvia talks about her dancing.

But more importantly, she reminded him of how he used to be. When they were teenagers, around the time Juvia was being enthusiastic about her dancing, and he was also getting into band. He could talk all day about his guitar, the songs he could play, the songs he could write…

Nowadays, he could hardly come up with good riffs. He just never got into the mood, or didn't have inspiration, or sometimes he just saw it as pointless. What was the point of playing if nobody would hear it? He didn't want to get rusty, though… that was why he still volunteered to play with other people, to sub for a missing guitarist with some band or two.

He wasn't a good enough singer, but he knew he had skills on the guitar and he knew he could write and arrange music. So he needed a band. He knew some guitarists can make it solo, but he knew for himself that he was an accompaniment. For some reason his music and arrangements were written not just for himself. He didn't know why exactly it always ended up like that.

Or maybe he's just been alone for too long, and was getting tired of it.

This was why he always told Juvia to find people to dance with. He didn't want her to end up like him. Stuck. Aimless. Losing that spark he once had with something he was passionate about. He wanted her to be like Levy and those people from the Guild. They might not be making it big, but they were in it together. They danced for each other, with each other.

So he felt a bit jealous, really. He wondered if he could be part of something like that, too.

"Gajeel?"

Shit. He zoned out.

"Uh. What?"

"You stopped." she said, frowning a bit. He looked down to find that he had indeed just stopped, and had been staring down at the album in his hand, the label gun on his other hand hovering over it uselessly. "I'm sorry, I got a bit too technical, right? I always ramble, always forget who I'm talking to…"

He quickly shook his head, and resumed with his task, applying the price tag sticker on the CD case. "No, that's fine. I just remembered somethin' I have to do later. What were you sayin'?"

"Um, I was thinking of how to rearrange some of the songs, because of the percussions. They drown out the tap sounds."

He raised an eyebrow. "You've got a good DJ, right? His remix on that video of yours is sick. Bet he can tone down the percussions on most of those songs."

"Hmm… yeah, but…" she thought of it for a bit. "Laxus is busy most days. And we usually only bother him about the big stuff."

"Or you could go with the other option and hire some instrument players to do the custom arrangement and go dance to that."

"Yeah. You know a lot of those people, right?" she asked, looking at him curiously this time.

He shrugged. "Some. There's some decent bands out here, y'know. Well, more shitty bands, but there are some pretty okay guys."

Levy nodded. "Hmm… Maybe we'll look into it. It sounds interesting. We've always wanted to try on something new… but Jet and Droy are so busy with work. I have a bit more free time compared to them, but it's no fun doing it alone, y'know? I know I could solo, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet." she said, ending her statement with a chuckle.

He nodded. He understood completely.

"Thanks again. For the mix."

"S'nothing."

They were quiet for a while. He didn't mind the silence so much as he simply continued putting price tags on the CD's, while Levy picked one up from the finished stack and looked at it shortly before returning it. He was focusing on his task, so he didn't see her look around the store, at the CD and record racks, the shelves with speakers, earphones, headsets and other gadgets and supplies, and finally towards the various posters, memos and other stuff behind the counter.

Then she seemed to remember something. "You should join us tonight."

"Why, what's happenin'?" he asked, glancing at her before returning to his work. Her eyes were set on one of the concert posters behind him.

"We're planning to go out, celebrate getting in the finals, y'know. We're still not sure where, but Cana said she'll take care of that. I know we should say _'no'_ to her because it's Monday tomorrow and all, but the past week's been spent worrying about the votes. I guess we could actually use some real night out."

"What, like go out drinkin' and clubbin'?"

"Maybe." she shrugged. "Well, drinking is settled, because it's Cana. I don't know about clubbing, though. We're gonna wing it, I guess. Just have some fun out on the town. I think Juvia-chan's coming, too."

Gajeel nodded, but cocked his head to indicate the black guitar case behind him. "I have a gig tonight. Maybe next time. Thanks for the invite, though."

"Oh." Levy let out a frown for only a split second before she smiled again. "You're playing! Where?"

"Just some bar downtown. This band's missing a guitarist, said the idiot drunk too much and ended up in jail after doin' something stupid." he let out an unimpressed scoff. "They act like jerks, but the gig will pay well. Just hafta endure playin' their sucky tracks."

"Aw, try to have a good time, at least?" she sounded honestly sympathetic. "We all get jobs like that one time or another. You know, the sucky ones you just wanna get over with. But hey, if your gig finishes early and you wanna have some fun, just give me or Juvia-chan a call. Maybe we'll still be out."

He looked up and was glad that she was now browsing through a music magazine, because that let him freely stare at her for a moment.

She didn't seem to expect him to reply, because she just continued her reading as she hummed. Nevertheless, he found himself saying, "Sure. I'll do that. Maybe. If I still got some soul left after playing whatever shitty set list my temp band cooked up."

He was answered with a sweet smile, before she turned towards the magazine again, humming one of the songs from his mix.

Gajeel inwardly sighed as he continued working. He was spending a whole lot of time with Little Tapper Girl lately, and while she was a ball of energy, many words, sunshine and surprises, he realized that he actually liked her company very much.

.

Levy returned home in the early evening to find most of her housemates in the living room, all eyes focused on the TV. Laki, Lisanna, Mira and Evergreen were squeezed together in the couch, with Erza sitting on the armrest. Natsu, Max, Jet, Droy, Warren and Bixlow were sitting on bean bags or on the floor. Gray stood nearby. When Levy lifted her head to see what they were watching, she raised an eyebrow. It looked like they connected Bixlow's laptop to the TV and were watching a dance video from YouTube.

A really badass hip-hop dance video by the looks of it.

They would usually be smiling in awe of the really awesome dancing, and Levy wondered why they were all frowning.

Nobody spoke when she quietly sat between Jet and Droy, her two best friends glancing at her shortly before turning their attention back to the footage.

"What are we watching?" she whispered, leaning against Droy's arm. In turn, he offered her some potato chips he was eating.

"The competition." Jet said, frowning.

"Oh." she turned towards the TV again and gulped. That was some pretty sick dancing right there. She thought it was a professional dance feature of some sort.

Over the past week, while letting their own entry sit in wait and gain views and likes, no one in the house actually tried looking into the other groups' entries. Levy didn't remember anyone bringing it up - it was like an unspoken agreement that no one scout out their competitors until they were sure of their place in the competition.

But now - watching another team who got in and who they'll be competing with...

Damn. They were really good.

Everyone was quiet until the video ended.

"Umm..." Bixlow started uncertainly. "That's the second one. I'll go find the third one?"

No one answered, so he looked towards Erza. The red-head nodded grimly. Bixlow turned back to browsing through the site.

"Shit." came from Max. "They're awesome."

"We're awesome too." Lisanna piped up, but her voice sounded a bit hesitant.

"Hey, half of our group doesn't even have hip-hop as their main style..." Warren said, tone hopeful. "But we're in, so that means we're just as good as them, right?"

There were some noises of agreement, but also some sighs.

"They're really good, though." Gray groaned. "Their choreo is solid, everything was on point. They've got like five breakdancers. Out of everyone here, we only have Natsu who can do those stunts." He paused. "...and Max, I guess?"

"Yeah, but I'm not very good at 'em." Max grumbled. "Erza?"

"Count on me for flips and stands, but I can't break on the floor." Erza sighed.

Laki looked up at her. "We don't really do anything too hardcore, with only half of us in our actual element…"

Natsu scratched his head. "I can… I can teach you guys those stuff if we all need 'ta do it. Some of 'em are real tricky, though."

"All of you are great dancers." Evergreen commented, a small encouraging smile on her face. "You'll come up with something, even better than those guys."

The uneasy air among everyone was evident.

"Guys?" Mira asked, concerned. When no one answered her, she continued. "We'll be fine! I'm sure Erza and Gray can cook up another cool routine!"

Lisanna followed. "We can, like… pool our resources, like that! No big! Right?"

Erza and Gray exchanged looks. They were the main choreographers of the group. But those videos had everything and admittedly, it would be very hard to top that.

Their entry was unique - ambitious with a great concept and choreo - that was what pulled the votes for them, because it was something different. But making a video from a concept was really different with dancing a routine live and on a set stage. There will be limits. Would they be able to come up with something to beat the other groups?

Levy looked around at her friends. They gave Evergreen, Mira and Lisanna their thankful smiles, but everyone was obviously still a bit shaken. The other groups had almost twice as many members, and all of them very skilled street dancers, whereas the Guild was made up of a bunch of dancers in different styles, who just know how to follow hip-hop choreography and make up for it in energy.

"I found the third one." Bixlow said, although his voice was weak. "D'you guys still wanna watch it, or...?"

Erza took a deep breath. It was Gray who said, "Yeah. Go."

"Are you guys sure?"

"Yeah!" Natsu nodded. "Bring it. Who knows? Maybe they kinda suck?"

They played the video, and on the first ten seconds, they all gave a collective groan.

"Oh hell. Their intro's too sick." Jet complained.

Then they heard another voice. "HEY, EVERYONE, WASSUP! I've got- Oh."

Everyone turned their heads to find Cana squinting at the dance routine on TV. She had just arrived, still in her coat and heels.

"Are you guys watching the competition?" she asked, voice demanding, walking up to them with her hands on her waist.

Gray looked at her. "You've seen this?"

"Of course, I checked out a lot of other groups while waitin' for the final votes." she said.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THEY WERE SO GOOD?!" Natsu cried.

"Because-…" she stopped, noting their forlorn expressions before continuing, "Because I knew you guys would act like that!"

"Like what?" Gray demanded, frowning deeply. Behind them, Bixlow hurried to pause the video.

"Intimidated." she deadpanned. "And maybe… discouraged."

"So you think they're better too?" Droy asked.

"Not necessarily." the brunette sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Look, you guys came up with a great concept and routine on your own. These guys got numbers and moves, but they all come from the same place. They all move the same. Hell, they just have different formations for it! But I haven't seen anyone twirl as good as Laki and Lisanna does, or move their feet faster than our tappers here."

Laki, Lisanna, Jet, Droy and Levy all looked at each other in surprise. They didn't always voice it, but they sometimes felt like they were the weak links. The rest of the group hold back so they can catch up, because they weren't dancing on their preferred style. They knew it wasn't the case, but sometimes they just couldn't help it.

Cana continued, "Listen. You guys just got taken aback because you're just realizing that you did something different, and the others are monsters on this style. But y'know what, we got in the top 5 for being different. Let that be why we win too."

She shrugged towards Erza and Gray before smiling her winning smile. "Deal? 'Cause I'm running out of pep talk stuff to say. You should go ask Laxus if you want more." She walked forward and took it upon herself to unplug the connection between the TV and the laptop. "Now all of you stop getting depressed over the teams you're gonna beat, and finish what you have to finish. We're going out tonight!"

"That's still on?" Natsu blinked. "Where?"

The woman grinned proudly. "I've booked Era's top floor. Lights, stage, bar and all! And everyone wear reasonable shoes for dancing!"

.

* * *

.

"It's Juvia's first time going to a nightclub in the city." Juvia said as she walked beside Gray, looking up at the prestigious-looking nightclub.

The glowing letters on the entrance of the building spelled the word 'ERA'. It was about four floors high.

"Don't worry. Cana booked the floor so it'll just be us." Gray replied.

"Levy-san told me the owner is from the Guild too."

"You could say that." Gray said with a small smile. "He's one of the old man's kids too, but he's not the owner… just one of the bosses 'round here. A lot of people own the place."

The line outside was short, accounting for the night being on a Sunday. Cana led the group inside. Juvia instinctively clung to Gray's arm as they entered, taken aback by the high ceiling, the fancy neon-colored chandelier, disco lights and house music playing in the entirety of the floor, along with all the people walking around with drinks in hand. She caught a glimpse of the dance floor before they were led towards the elevators.

There were two open elevators ready for them. One of the club staff stood inside one, holding it open. In the other, there was a tall, raven-haired man wearing a sleeveless black turtleneck. He was wearing an earring on one ear, and had thin scars by his right eye.

"That's him." Gray whispered in Juvia's ear, and she nodded. The group had split into two then. Cana was already talking to the man when Gray and Juvia joined them along with some of the others. "Long time no see, Mest."

Mest smiled back pleasantly at him. "Gray. Been a while since I saw the whole crew. I was really surprised when Cana came over this afternoon asking me to reserve the whole fourth floor."

"Nah, I know you'll come through." Cana chided. "You always do!"

"A longer heads-up next time, please. We're lucky it was a Sunday night." Mest sighed, but smiled at the rest of his guests. "Wow, everyone's really here. Laxus, how's your grandfather?"

"Still enjoying retirement." Laxus snorted, but gave a small smile back. "You should know. You talk to him more than I do."

Mest laughed good-naturedly. "He likes catching up to everyone, you know that." Then he raised an eyebrow. "Romeo, Wendy, no school tomorrow?"

"Nope, there's still classes tomorrow!" Romeo declared proudly. "But we're not missing this either."

"That's why we're going home at 11 PM sharp." Wendy continued, sheepish but determined.

Romeo whispered loudly, _"I bet we'll leave at twelve."_

This earned them some laughs, before Mest finally said, "And we have a new face, too. Gray, your girlfriend?"

Gray simply nodded and shifted a bit to let Mest and Juvia get a better view of each other. "Juvia, this is Mest. He's a big-shot 'round here. Mest, Juvia."

"Pleased to meet you, Juvia-san." Mest smiled, extending a hand.

Juvia smiled back shyly, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mest-san. The place looks amazing."

Gray then turned towards her with a smirk. "Wait until you see the fourth floor, though."

"Of course!" Cana backed him up cheerfully. "That's why I reserved it!"

"It's our best floor." Mest explained for Juvia's benefit.

Just in time, the elevator doors slid open, and Juvia took in the sight of the new place. The walls and the ceiling were all made of glass, with dark colored panels and pipes as support. This made the night sky and the city streets, lights and buildings outside fully visible. The bright neon-colored light balls hanging from the ceiling looked like they were floating. There was a bar on one side, round tables and high chairs nearby, music booming from the speakers, a stage, a DJ already firing up some mixes nearby, and disco lights already casting rays on the empty dance floor.

Juvia held her breath, but not for long because Cana had walked into the floor declaring excitedly, "Hell yeah, this is what I'm talkin' about!"

.

The dancing started out pretty tame for everyone's standards. There were some pretty chill dance mixes, as mostly everyone went to the bar first. Everyone from the Guild was there, including some others - Romeo, Wendy, Evergreen and Jellal. Loke arrived too, and was met with cheers from everyone. Mest himself was making them the drinks from the bar. Juvia had been told that was how he started out, being a nightclub barista before saving up enough to start his own business, and then finding some friends to expand it. Now they were an established place on their own.

One hour into their stay, when everyone has had their fill of the drinks and light snacks, Cana finally requested the DJ to play some upbeat music.

Juvia looked up when she heard Lucy let out a small squeal, and couldn't help but gape when she saw Natsu carrying Lucy over his shoulder and into the center of the dance floor.

Lucy rolled her eyes and stood with her hands on her hips as Natsu started dancing, just some goofy disco moves. Then he pointed towards his girlfriend, as if to pass the torch towards her. Everyone turned towards Lucy, who looked ready to quit at any second, and then they cheered when she smiled giddily and started dancing with him.

Romeo didn't waste a minute to join them. Max dragged Laki and Warren with him after. Pretty soon Jet and Droy joined them as well, with Levy pulling Wendy with them. Alzack and Bisca followed, arms linked and laughing together.

Juvia looked beside her when she heard Lisanna laughing, and when she looked around, she saw Evergreen holding on to the bar top for dear life because Bixlow was trying to pull her to the dance floor too. The brunette ultimately came screaming when Elfman lifted her up bridal style and carried her with him. Bixlow ran after them energetically, waving his arms above his head.

The music changed songs then, and they heard a call from Natsu screaming, _"LISANNA, IT'S YOUR SONG, C'MERE!"_

Juvia was surprised when she heard the usually gentle Lisanna shout back, _"WHY'RE YOU SO EAGER TO GET YOUR BUTT KICKED?!"_ before the other woman looked at her beaming, said "You should join us soon, Juvia-chan!" and then ran to join the rest of the dancers.

Juvia recognized the song instantly when she heard the first lines.

 _((This hit, that ice cold!  
Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold!))_

"You won't dance?" Mest asked from behind her, giving Cana another mug of beer. The woman was already sitting on the bar, watching the others enjoying themselves in the dance floor. "I was told you're also a dancer."

Juvia answered hesitantly. "Juvia will… wait a bit."

Mest simply nodded and went back to fixing another drink.

 _((This one for them hood girls,  
them good girls, straight masterpieces!))_

Juvia looked around. The only ones not in the dance floor were Cana drinking by the bar, Erza and Mira who were engaged in conversation on another table, Jellal, Loke and Gray also talking over drinks, and Freed and Laxus who were huddled closely together and watching the others dancing.

She jumped when Cana leaned over to peer at her face. "No way, you're not having fun! I brought you guys here to have fun!"

Juvia shook her head fervently. "No, Cana-san! Juvia is having fun, really!"

"You should dance!" the brunette insisted, then squinted around until she sighted Gray. "Will you dance if Gray's dancin' too?"

Juvia didn't know how to answer that. "Ummm…"

 _((Stylin', wilin', livin' in up in the city!  
Got chucks on with Saint Laurent, gotta kiss myself I'm so pretty!))_

"Got it." Cana said, setting her drink down and then jumping down from the bar. Juvia watched as the brunette marched towards the guys, said something to Gray, and then dragged Loke and Jellal with her to the dance floor, Mira and Erza just laughing as they saw it all unfold.

Juvia covered her face in embarrassment as Gray walked towards her, while Mest was laughing behind them. "Juvia didn't tell Cana-san to do that!"

"I know. Don't worry, she's done worse." Gray assured her, smirking. "So why don't you dance?"

She looked down.

"Oh come on." Gray deadpanned. "It's not even serious dancing. Look at them."

Juvia looked at them. Yep. The group had formed this wide circle and they were all cheering and taking turns on pushing someone to dance in the middle of the dance floor. Right now Bixlow was trying to breakdance. It wasn't very convincing, but hey, he was clearly having fun.

"Let's go." Gray said, grabbing Juvia's hand, a smirk on his face. "We won't bite."

Juvia took another look at the dance floor, saw Mira and Erza stretching as they walked towards the group, and then finally looked back at Gray. She nodded and let him help her off the high chair as they ran to join in the party.

The song was nearing the chorus, and by the time they got there, Bixlow has just finished his hopeless but entertaining breakdance attempt, and Natsu and Lisanna had both walked forward. Both of them somehow managed to find sunglasses to wear. Both were clapping their hands to the beat, waiting for their cue.

 _(('Cause uptown funk gon' give it to 'ya,  
'cause uptown funk gon' give it to 'ya...))_

If Juvia thought the music was loud while she was sitting on the side, it was certainly louder when she finally got in the dance floor with the others. She thought she would have to squeeze in, but everyone automatically moved to make a wider circle so she and Gray can join them. The laughter, shouts, cheers and whistles blurred against the remix. She froze for a while against the unfamiliar sensation of several bodies moving restless around her - the others swaying and jumping to the beats - but Gray draped an arm around her neck and soon she was singing and jumping with the others.

 _(('Cause uptown funk gon' give it to ya,  
Saturday night and we in the spot-  
Don't believe me, just watch!))_

They must have danced the song together at some point, because the pair launched into a hard, perfectly synchronized, energetic series of moves. Their friends launched into louder applause.

 _((Don't believe me, just watch!))_

And maybe they couldn't help it, because Max and Warren soon joined the two, picking up on the steps seamlessly.

"We came up with this choreo for the chorus a few months ago." Gray told Juvia above the music and noise. She nodded, and Gray sounded so amused at his friends' antics she couldn't help but smile widely.

 _((Don't believe me, just watch!))_

For the last bit, Natsu and Lisanna both made way as Max and Warren broke into a quick animation solo, and the two delivered.

 _((Don't believe me, just watch!  
Hey, hey, hey, oh!))_

That was also when Juvia realized that it was a tag game of sorts, because then all four dancers turned towards Erza, fingers pointing towards her, Natsu miming pulling her towards him via a rope. Erza just laughed at them and let Laki and Levy push her forward before she took the center spot and quickly broke into an impromptu pop-lock routine.

 _((Stop! Wait a minute!  
Fill my cup, put some liquor in it.  
Take a sip, sign a check - Julio, get the stretch!))_

Erza gestured for Levy and quickly stepped aside as the other woman skid towards her, feet moving fast. Levy did a quick jazz funk-inspired solo, her moves precise but casual.

 _((Ride to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson, Mississippi-  
If we show up, we gon' show out, smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy!))_

Levy finished her solo off with a split, to which her friends all cheered and whistled. When she got up, she smirked and pointed at Gray.

The raven-head just rolled his eyes but easily went along, letting go of Juvia and striding towards the middle, already doing some smooth hip-hop moves.

 _((I'm too hot! Hot damn! Call the police and the fireman.  
I'm too hot! Hot damn! Make a dragon wanna retire, man!))_

Gray's movements were smooth and snappy. Juvia had only ever seen him do the Smooth Criminal routine, the contest entry video, and some contemporary. She forgot that his hip-hop style was also very lyrical. She also realized that the only times she ever saw him this carefree, enjoying himself, was whenever he danced.

 _((I'm too hot - hot damn!  
Bitch, say my name you know who I am-  
I'm too hot - hot damn!  
And my band 'bout that money, break it down!))_

His finish was just as smooth as the rest of his solo, gesturing towards Mira with a flourish. The woman shook her head in amusement, and then looked beside her. Loke blinked at her once before realization hit him and he offered her his arm as they both stepped forward, Mira's gait switching from her normal demure steps to a majestic ballroom walk that told everyone she was about to slay.

 _((Girls hit your hallelujah...))_

Mira whispered something quick to her partner and he nodded, extending his arms to hold her hands as she started swinging her hips, her feet picking pace as she started doing the familiar movements of a swing dance routine.

 _((Girls hit your hallelujah...))_

Everyone cheered when Mira spun in Loke's arms, her back pressed against his chest as she did a high kick. That was followed by some intricate spins and turns where Loke simply followed her lead, hardly keeping up. He had ballroom background but damn Mira was a demon.

 _(('Cause uptown funk gon' give it to ya,  
'cause uptown funk gon' give it to ya...))_

Then she gave Loke quick instructions again, and he stepped backwards and held her hand up as she began a set of fast, multiple spins without stopping, even gradually getting into a crouching position before ascending again. The cheering just got louder for every second ticking by with the woman still moving.

 _(('Cause uptown funk gon' give it to ya,  
Saturday night and we in the spot-  
Don't believe me, just watch!))_

They lost count of how many spins Mira did, when she finally stopped and the pair ended their short solo with a dip.

She laughed and thanked Loke, who was actually panting more than she was, before they fell back into the circle, tagging Juvia next.

She gaped - there was _no way_ she could dance after all those amazing solos. She was about to back out when Lisanna and Laki both stepped forward, both girls dancing easily and gesturing for her to join them. Juvia blinked. _Are they…?_ They were offering to dance with her so she'll feel more comfortable! The others were also encouraging her, and Gray gave her shoulder a small squeeze before saying, "Don't think too much 'bout it. Just go. Have fun." with a reassuring smile. "They got you. Don't worry."

Juvia gulped as she stepped forward, and let Lisanna and Laki pull her with them to the middle.

 _((Don't believe me, just watch!))_

She stood nervously with the two girls forming a triangle formation, facing each other.

"Have some steps in mind, Juvia-chan?" Lisanna asked, straining to be heard over the music.

Juvia shook her head, biting her lip.

"Alright, just follow our lead!" Lisanna said, nodding towards Laki. She started doing simple jazz funk steps, snapping her fingers. Laki mirrored her quickly enough.

It was different than Juvia's usual moves but it wasn't too far from her more modern contemporary routines so she followed easily, managing to let out a small sheepish smile when the others cheered.

"Great!" Lisanna beamed. "Pirouette, moving to your left, then high kick. Get it?"

"Game." Laki said, and Juvia nodded.

Lisanna gave the signal and the three broke formation, Lisanna first, followed by Laki, then Juvia - their pirouettes impressively coordinated. Their high kicks were all different but matched each other and the song well.

 _((Don't believe me, just watch!  
Hey, hey, hey, oh!))_

Juvia found herself smiling more easily as she followed more of Lisanna's lead and listened as Laki then took over. Their instructions and steps were pretty basic, but they fired it one after the other in interesting combinations. Juvia somehow barely found any of the instructions difficult to follow, and it was easy to match the beat. By the sound of everyone still cheering, maybe they were going great after all.

 _((Uptown funk you up, Uptown funk you up!  
Uptown funk you up, Uptown funk you up, oh!))_

"Juvia, you're awesome." she heard Laki say before Lisanna called out what their next steps. Without waiting for the cue, Laki and Juvia moved together to follow Lisanna's lead, the three of them getting down on an interesting floor twirl before they got up again and Lisanna made some simple pop-lock moves that the other two easily adapted as well.

 _((Uptown funk you up, uptown funk you up!))_

They finished their turn with matching jumps and quick pirouettes. Laki glomped at Juvia and they went back to the circle while Lisanna tagged Romeo next.

That was when they heard a familiar voice over the music. "So are y'all done warming up?"

They were all surprised when the song took an unexpected turn, hearing scratches and some effects on the track. Everyone turned to see that Laxus has taken over the DJ area.

Freed stood beside him, wearing the headphones and manning the laptop, probably queueing up songs. Laxus sent a smirk towards his boyfriend as he put down his microphone and then proceeded to adjust knobs, press buttons and make his way around the different equipment in the booth easily.

Above the noise, Cana shouted, "DROP IT, DJ!"

In turn the dancers all jumped and cheered some more, pumped up that the live remixing was about to start.

Laxus chuckled as he spoke to the mic again. "Alright, let's get the real party started."

.

* * *

.

Gajeel slammed the bar's back door harshly behind him.

He's quitting this shit. The shitty temp band ditched him. They actually had the fucking guts to not show up, only calling him about them backing out when he was already in the venue.

What pissed him off the most, though - was the reason for backing out.

 _"There's not enough people tonight, anyway. And I'm not feeling up to it, dude. I know we can play on bigger stages! We don't like the crowd in there."_ was the actual words that the vocalist guy told him over the phone.

They don't. Like the crowd. Hell. They were the one who asked for the gig in the first place! And they were lucky to get it anyway because dammit it's not like they're the best players either. They wanna play on bigger stages? They'd have to get used to playing in the small stages with unappreciative crowds first. They'd have to goddamn _work for it_. Gajeel told them just that before hanging up. Just because they were kids doesn't mean he's gonna go easy on them. He had to tell them that's not how the real world works.

He kicked an empty soda can by his feet, grumbling and cursing. There goes his night. He was used to shitty nights. He can usually deal with shitty nights. But now he was just angry. He wasn't about to throw a tantrum but he didn't want to deal with the night being shitty right now. Because _fuck_ , his day started well.

Juvia looked really happy when she came home. Rogue and Sting were noisier than usual but they brightened up the day in the shop somehow, both bugging him about music and cats, which were two of his favorite topics. Then Levy dropped by and was like this travel-sized sun that came down from the heavens to spread happiness in her wake. He usually grumbled about loud, too-happy people, but today they were infectious and somehow made him believe the positivity might just go all the way and he can play a decent gig for once.

Then the band just so happened to ruin that all for him.

He breathed deeply, trying to get his anger in check. Calm. Keep calm. Do something fun, maybe. Play on the streets, whatever. It was a Sunday night, the crowds should be coming home early, but it was still a weekend and he might catch a few coins or two.

Just… he should do something to _cheer himself up_ , dammit.

That was when he got a message alert in his phone. He took the gadget out, saw that it was from one of the shitty band guys, and deleted it without reading. But before he pocketed the device, he remembered something.

Without thinking, he typed out a new message.

 _[' Hey. You guys still out? ']_

.

.

end of ch. 13

.

* * *

 **A/N:** I wanted to write Mest in and this was the perfect role for him. He's probably the guy who'll drive Wendy and Romeo home safely.  
And I didn't mention it but the other owners of the club include some of the other council members and Mest's bf. Y'know. Lahar. Dude probably handles financials and stuff. Because. Uh. Who else, amirite?

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- What do you mean you don't know Uptown Funk.  
\- Anyways, my fave dance videos of this song are from the guys at 1MILLION Dance Studio, and from the URBAN DANCE CAMP guys. They're all so fun and energetic! **  
**

 **Next Chapter: More dancing! And Gajeel talks feelings.**  
 _"Shit, I said all that out loud did I."  
"Yup!"  
"I gotta stop."  
"Hmm… not really. You're adorable."  
"M'not supposed to be fuckin' adorable. I'm metal."  
_


	14. Sparks

**A/N:** Here we go! The Title Chapter! Which means things happen!

..actually yeah things happen, but not too many things, but still lots of things.

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 14:**  
 _("_ _Turn the lights down low and kiss me in the dark  
'Cause when you're touching me, baby I see..._ _")  
_ **Sparks**  
\- Hilary Duff

.

Gajeel was surprised when Levy told him that the Guild people were at Era. He had never been to the place, but he knew about it. It was one of the biggest and most famous spots in the city. The closest he got to the nightclub was looking up at the building in awe from across the street one time he was going home from a gig.

But now he was not only going to enter the place, he was going to attend a private party, with a whole floor reserved for it.

 _'I'm on a roll.'_ he thought, as he was led to the elevator. It looks like whoever was in charge had told the staff to anticipate him coming. _'Last night, a concert. Tonight, a party.'_

He didn't know how it happened. He suddenly had some semblance of a social life.

Almost everyone in the party was a familiar face to him. He sucked at names - he doubted he could name them all, but he recognized the faces. There was a sick remix playing, and about half of the guests were on the dance floor, while the other half were on the tables by the bar.

The first one he recognized (complete with a name) was Gray, who was standing by the bar drinking with a blue-haired guy he didn't completely recognize. Thankfully, Gajeel didn't have to suffer through awkwardly approaching them because Gray saw him first and raised a hand in greeting, calling out to him.

"Hey, man." Gray said as Gajeel walked up to them. "You came, huh?"

"Just thought the night was young. Didn't wanna go home yet." Gajeel replied as he put his guitar case down. "This seat taken?"

"Nah, go ahead." the other man shrugged. "What're you drinkin'?"

Gajeel shrugged and looked down at the glasses in the table. "I dunno, uh… get me whatever you're having."

"Beer?"

"Beer, then."

"Right." Gray excused himself quickly and walked towards Mest, ordering Gajeel's drink.

As he did this, Jellal introduced himself to Gajeel. Gajeel responded easily. He was more polite than the others, but also less formal than Loke who seemed to have an all suave and gentlemanly routine. Gajeel quickly felt at ease in the other guy's casual company. Jellal simply updated him on what the group had been up to for the night so far - just a bit of drinking (well, some more than others) and lots of dancing. Nothing too eventful, but still lots of fun.

Cana passed by them holding two mugs of beer in her hands. She absently leaned against Jellal as she beamed widely at Gajeel. "Hey, it's Big Guy! Ga… uh, Ga-someone. I dunno. You gotten drunk yet?!"

"Uh-"

"GO KNOCK YOURSELF OUT, BABE! IT'S MY TREAT!"

"Err, yeah, sure...?"

Then she peered at Jellal, who was gently supporting her, his hands on her shoulders. "Ballerina, are you usually this blurry?"

Jellal just laughed lightly and asked, "Do you want to sit down, Cana?"

"Yeah, no, uh, wait." she said, before she stood up straight again and smiled at him. "Okay, I'm good." Then she walked away happily swaying her hips to the music.

Jellal's eyes trailed after her and then he loudly called out, "Max, incoming!" just in time for Max to turn around and catch Cana before she could tackle him. Max just blinked before he gave Jellal a thumbs-up as Cana complained about treachery.

Jellal just smiled a pleasant smile back at Gajeel and said, "You get used to it."

The raven-head raised both eyebrows but nodded nonetheless. That was when Gray came back with Gajeel's drink. Gajeel thanked him as he rejoined them. He found himself in luck - Gray and Jellal both appeared to be usually quiet people. While Gray went back to his drink and Jellal contentedly watched the others, Gajeel finally took a proper look around the place.

It lived up to its reputation, and from the look of things, the event really appeared to be quite an exclusive party. He swore that other than the staff and those two teenagers, it was just the housemates. Even the DJ was one of their own - he was the guy who owned their building, from what Gajeel remembered. The boyfriend of that other guy (the fashion designer one) who dressed him up. Gajeel will never forget that. If his hair could experience culture shock, it would have done so after suddenly being gelled and tied back like that.

Then his eyes drifted to the dance floor. Even with the dark room and erratic lighting, Gajeel could see everyone clearly. They weren't that big of a crowd, and the dance floor was spacious. Levy, Lisanna and Erza looked like they were having the time of their lives dancing with each other. Jet and Droy were watching them, cheering, while Lucy and Wendy were standing close together and just swaying to the music.

Then Gajeel caught sight of Natsu joining them, pulling Juvia with him. Juvia laughed as Natsu spun her around several times before he caught her hands again and led her into a playful dance. It wasn't 'serious' dancing, really - Natsu was trying to get her to dance some goofy disco moves with him and for a while Juvia just stared before following his lead, giggling.

"You know she never dances like that… at all?" Gajeel told Gray. Somehow he felt like he had to let the other man know.

"Yeah, she told me she's never danced in front of anyone before." Gray nodded, smirking a bit. Now that he thought about it, he kinda felt honored, being the second person Juvia trusted enough to dance for…

"No, I mean like _that_."

They both watched as Natsu started just randomly jumping up and down, and then Juvia did so too, both of them swinging their arms side-to-side happily.

It's been a very long time since Gajeel has seen her having so much fun. The last time he clearly remembered was way back when they were young teens, she was puddle jumping and dancing in the rain one free afternoon.

Gray snorted. "Hm, yeah, maybe it's the alcohol."

"Nah, she's not crying. When she's drunk, she does nothing but cry."

"Well then, it's just Natsu. He does that to people."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Is he drunk?"

"I wish, but that's his normal."

Maybe Juvia finally noticed that her best friend has arrived, because she stopped jumping and said something to Natsu before she ran off from the dance floor and towards the tables. Natsu in turn grabbed Wendy and Lucy next.

Gajeel was grateful he wasn't drinking because he would have spilled the beverage with how Juvia glomped at him giddily. "Gajeel-kun came!"

He chuckled, ruffling her already tousled blue hair gently. "Yeah, I was out early."

"How was the gig?"

Gajeel blinked down at her. She didn't know? He assumed Levy had told her. After all, that was what he told Levy - that his gig was cancelled so he'd come over and join them. At first he thought of texting Juvia but then she might be busy having fun with Gray or something, so he chose to contact Levy instead.

In speaking of Levy, she had joined their table, drink in hand as she occupied the chair where Jellal was sitting a few seconds ago. Gajeel hadn't noticed the man excusing himself to grab a refill or whatever from the bar…

He exchanged a short look with Levy before he answered Juvia, "It was fine. Y'know, the usual."

"Juvia is glad to hear that." she smiled sweetly.

That was when the music had faded smoothly into a slower one. They all looked towards the dance floor and the DJ booth. It looks like Laxus had stepped down from the podium and the previous DJ took over again. Most of the people from the dance floor had started to pair up for the slow dance, the others who weren't in the mood for it going back to the tables. They noted Erza pulling Jellal away from the bar by his hand, both of them wearing small smiles on their faces.

Juvia was surprised when she felt Gray tap her shoulder gently. She blushed when he wordlessly offered a hand. He must have seen how curious she looked, watching the other couples in the dance floor.

Juvia looked at Gajeel, who shrugged at her, and then at Levy, who smiled and nodded encouragingly, before she let Gray lead her away from the tables.

Gajeel watched as the two joined the other pairs, Juvia struggling to meet Gray's eyes as they started to dance, standing closely together. Funnily enough, it was Gray who was confident at this thing, and it was Juvia who was a blushing mess. Gajeel didn't expect that. After a few moments, he finally withdrew his gaze. There was no need to watch them too closely. Gajeel may be used to looking out for his best friend slash little sister, but she was in good company. They were both adults. He should let them have their moment.

As he took a swig of beer, he looked at the company he had left. Levy was also watching the others with a soft smile on her face. She looked back at him just as he put his mug down.

"So you made it." was what she said, her cheerful smile ever-present. "I was starting to think you won't be coming... It took longer than I thought for you to arrive."

"Not easy walking from downtown to here." replied Gajeel, looking down at his drink.

Levy nodded before she continued. "I'm sorry your gig was cancelled." her voice was softer now, she could afford it because of the mellow music, he knew.

"Not your fault." He shook that off. "And m'used to it."

"You didn't tell Juvia-chan, though."

He paused. She was terrifying, sometimes. She seemed to read him so well. "Didn't wanna ruin her night. She gets sad when things go wrong."

The woman smiled an understanding smile at this. It wasn't so far from what she knew of Juvia, after all.

"That… happens often?" she asked, in a tone of voice that told him that it was alright if he didn't answer. She remembered the second time she met him - in the backroom of the record shop, walking in on him engaged in a particularly harsh phone call. She didn't think too much of it at the time.

"Happens all the time. Although sometimes I'm the one who'll quit."

She didn't ask further about that. "Well, you should make sure to enjoy yourself tonight, then! Make up for the negativity."

He nodded, raising his mug again. That was exactly what he came here for, after all.

"Cheers?" she asked, raising her own glass.

Gajeel grinned this time as they shared a toast. "Cheers."

.

If there was one thing Levy didn't expect from Gajeel, it's that he was. Such. A lightweight.

Like a _total_ lightweight, holy crap.

Levy has had a couple of beers and some other stuff and she wasn't even tipsy. She had her long-term friendship with Cana to credit for her surprisingly high alcohol tolerance.

Meanwhile, Gajeel had finished a mug and a half and his head was slumped in the table and he wasn't moving. He wasn't in the 'Unreasonable Drunk' stage yet, but… he was mumbling stuff Levy couldn't quite catch and his face was all red. When she asked him if he was okay, he said that he was fine, he was totally fine, and he's just waiting for the room to stop _spinning_.

"Dude, he's _down_?" Jet called out, peering concernedly from the table he was sharing with Droy and Bixlow. Bixlow, for his part, was laughing hysterically.

"I think so?" Levy shrugged helplessly, before reaching out and softly patting Gajeel's head.

He-… did he actually _purr_?

"Gajeel, are you really sure you're alright?" she asked again.

Gajeel waved her off lazily. "Mmyeaaah I jus' get buzzed early whatever shut up."

"D'you need anything?"

"I need a band."

"...What?"

"I need a decent band. Y'know. 'Cause shitheads bail on me like allthetime? Godforsakin' kids wan' everythin' t'be fuckin' _easy_. Do covers and get famous and shit. Then some o' dem do originals but won' take no constract- critical- _contraction_ -"

"Constructive criticism?" Levy guessed.

"That. Dey say IT'S FOR DA ART and I got no right t'say they suck but like. I dun' say they suck. I just say they soun' too pretentious sometimes. I just say they should expect some negative backwar- lack- backsh- fuck. Say it right, shorty."

"Negative backlash?"

"N'ce. That. If they wanna be different, y'know. They oughtta freakin' listen to people too. Yeah I know it's music and there are all kinds but they hafta get used to strugglin'. AND Y'KNOW WHAT. I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF THEY MAKE SOME FREAKY STUFF ON THEIR OWN TIME. BUT LIKE. IF I'M ON A GROUP, Y'KNOW? IF I'M IN THE BAND. I GOTTA HAVE A SAY. AND THEY GoTTA FUCKIN' DEAL WITH THAT. 'Cause… see. If they wanna make somethin' with no complaints, they gotta do it by themselves. But if they wanna keep workin' wit'other people - they gotta learn to listen too. 'Cause it's a fucking band. It's not a fucking soloist and his fucking backup band. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYIN', OKAY. D'YOU GET ME, BABYGIRL?"

Levy had to fight not to spit out her drink upon being addressed so abruptly and in such a way. "Y-Yes, mostly? Art is subjective. You can't always judge it, per se. But it's a different matter if you're making it with someone."

"Right-o. AND I'VE BEEN. FUCKIN' IGNORED. JUST 'CAUSE I CAN'T SING TO SAVE MY LIFE. AND I'M NOT A PRETTY BOY FRONTMAN. AND THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY FUCKING BETTER, LIKE THAT. I just wanna fuckin' make music, man. And not just a buncha covers forever, y'know? And I wanna do it with some decent people for once. I dun' care if they're fuckups like me, but they gotta respect me some, man. Like… listen? And… work wit' me? And y'know. Respect… RESPECT THE GODDAMN ART!"

Levy smiled softly. Behind her, the other guys must have heard the last part because they cheered "HELL YEAH!" and "ART!"

Gajeel groaned. "Shit, I said all that out loud did I."

"Yup."

"I gotta stop."

"Hmm… not really. You're adorable."

"M'not supposed to be fuckin' adorable. I'm metal."

"Uh-huh. You're metal." she chuckled, but tried her best to humor him. "When was the last time you went out for a drink?"

He thought about it. "Uhhhh… like… a year? More. Than a year? Hell if I know."

"Are you _serious_?" – because he seemed like the guy who _drinks_. Not an alcoholic, but… maybe the kind who always has beer in the fridge? _'Alright, no. Stop.'_ Levy thought, clearing her thoughts. She knew better than to judge other people based on how they look.

"Believe it or not, shorty. I just. Dammit, I don't do this shit at all. Too busy workin' then music and droppin' dead then work again." He grumbled. "I'll pay you if you get me some cold water."

Levy laughed, hopping off her chair to heed to the request. She got back quickly with a tall glass and a pitcher of water. As she poured some water in the glass and he slowly sat up to watch her do it, she said, "No need to pay me, this is free of charge."

He nodded once, took the glass and drank it bottoms up. When he set the glass back down on the table, Levy came to the conclusion that she actually doesn't understand how the man's system worked. Because after that, he was looking perfectly sober again.

"Thanks." he said.

"You're… welcome." replied Levy, trying not to look too weirded out. "You're… okay?"

He raised a finger as if to make a point. "I'm still drunk. But much less drunk than before. Head's clearer."

Oh, so he just looked sober. "You… really don't drink much, do you?" she asked.

He shook his head. "You?"

"I've had five beers already."

"No shit."

"Yes shit."

He blinked. "You said shit."

She nodded indulgently. "I said shit."

"You said it again. Hey, hey, say 'fuck'."

"Um. Fuck?"

He sounded like his world was getting turned upside down. "Holy shit."

He really was still drunk, Levy believed that now. She raised an eyebrow. "I can't curse?"

"You look too much like an angel sent from above for you to be out cursing-FUCK I'M TALKING OUT LOUD. DID YOU HEAR THAT?"

She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "I did."

"DON'T BELIEVE ME, I'M AN HONEST DRUNK."

Okay, not laughing was taking serious effort now. Levy had to cover her mouth with a hand. "O-Okay...?"

"WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THAT WATER."

"...I-Ice?"

"THIS IS WHY I DON'T DRINK. WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?"

She shrugged, an amused smile on her face. "You're fun."

"I'M NOT FUN."

"You are."

"STOP." he warned.

She did. But Levy leaned forward, leaning on her elbows and resting her chin in her hands. "I have a question, though..."

"What."

"Why don't you go solo?" she asked. "I know there's a bunch of guitarists out there who just do solo instrumentals."

He shook his head. It surprised Levy that he was answering so quickly. "I can't do it alone. My songs have lyrics."

"Why not be a composer? Lyricist?"

"I wanna be more involved than that. But I can't do everything by myself."

She nodded. "You really don't want to play by yourself, huh?" When he didn't answer, she asked. "You had a band once? A good one?"

He nodded absently, looking towards the dance floor. The others were still dancing. Levy followed his gaze, towards Juvia who appeared to be listening to Gray as he whispered in her ear. "T'was a good run, but we had to go separate ways. Y'know, when 'ya get outta the system and hafta find a stable job. 'Cause being a scruffy band's not gonna feed us and keep a roof 'bove our heads. Juvia's the only one still with me. The others moved. Greener pastures, right?"

"Juvia-chan was in the band?" Levy blinked curiously.

"Not _in_ the band. But sh'was _with_ the band. Y'knowwhatI'msayin?"

She shook her head. "No."

"She's with us for every gig. Didn't sing or play anything - y'know, stage fright - just kinda there like our lucky charm." he chuckled, pouring himself another glass of water. "My songs sucked way back then. Weren't good enough to build us a following before the split-up."

"Why did you split up?"

"We needed to earn stable cash. Get jobs. Got a little brother to feed and send to school, wanna save up an' go to college, hafta keep roof 'bove our heads… y'know the drill."

This time, Levy nodded.

"Juvia always says my songs have improved from that, but she's just bein' kind."

"No way, if you really kept working on them, you should have improved." she reassured him.

"You're kind too, y'know."

She smiled. "Maybe. But I'm honest most of the time, too. Even when I'm not drunk."

He just shook his head, before cradling it in his hands. He felt less dizzy and drunk now. Still tipsy, but he can manage.

After a while of just watching the others dancing, he asked, "You're not gonna dance?"

"I've danced plenty tonight." she answered easily, stretching. "I'm resting my feet a bit. Besides, it's a slow dance right now. I'm not really into 'em too much."

"No boyfriend?"

She shrugged. "You?"

"Same. No boyfriend too."

Levy laughed. "I mean… you're not going to dance?"

"I don't dance." he said simply. When she looked at him, a skeptical look on her face, he continued. "I play. That's all."

Gajeel sniffed and stirred his drink absently. Levy watched as he did this, her gaze traveling from his bothered expression, to his slumped posture, the half-full glass of water, and the guitar case resting untouched on the chair beside him.

"So… you never played tonight? Not one bit in the gig?"

He nodded quietly, putting his drink down.

"Would it cheer you up if you get to play tonight?"

At this, he looked at her with a thoroughly confused expression. "What?"

"There's a stage." Levy said, resting her chin in her hands, summoning an air of nonchalance as she looked up at the glass ceiling. "And I'm pretty sure setting up a single amp isn't too much work."

He didn't take his eyes off her. He asked again: "What?"

"You said you don't dance. That you play. That's all." she continued, her voice considerate and knowing. "Then play! I mean, we're all doing our thing, why not do yours?"

"I-" he started, and found it hard to finish the thought, but nevertheless blurted it out. "...need a band?"

She smiled at him. "I can be your band!"

"Okay, what?"

"C'mon, it's just like what we did in the streets. That's one of my favorite gigs, y'know!" this time Levy was beaming excitedly, and before he could ask further, she had already hopped off her chair and left him to watch as she skipped towards another table.

Gajeel watched as Levy approached Freed and Laxus, both of whom quickly turned to her when she called out to them. Laxus had to lean down a bit and Levy had to stand on tip-toe to say something to his ear. After listening to Levy's request, Laxus glanced at Gajeel, then nodded, pat her head and stood up from his chair. Levy looked smaller than usual as she clung to the man's jacket and followed him as he headed towards the bar and talked to Mest.

After a few short words, Mest gave the two what looked like his approval. Laxus turned to pull Bixlow with him towards the stage while Levy ran back to Gajeel.

"C'mon, sober up! I got us a gig!" she announced cheerfully.

Gajeel knew he was probably sounding like a broken record by now, but he had to repeat: "WHAT?"

"We're playing!"

"What're we playing?"

"What d'you wanna play?"

"The hell, what should I play?"

Levy rolled her eyes, already making her way around the table and grabbing his guitar case. "Alright, pick one song from our tap mix. We're going with that. You play guitar, I'll be your percussion! It won't be our first time."

He tried not to think too hard on _'Our Tap Mix'_. "Yeah, it's our second."

"Don't sweat the details." she waved dismissively, opening his guitar case and lifting the sleek jet black electric guitar from it. She took a deep breath. "Whoa."

At her reaction, he couldn't help but smirk. "Like what you see?"

"It looks badass." she grinned sheepishly, then got back to business, taking it upon herself to straighten the guitar's strap. She swung it over his head and draped it across his shoulders, securing the guitar in place. He accepted the instrument as she handed it to him. "You got a song yet?"

He stared at her tentatively, then looked down at his guitar before sighing. "We're really doin' this?"

"We were just talking 'bout this a while ago, right?" Levy nodded. "I have my tap shoes on."

He just shook his head in resignation, before turning back towards the table and downing another glass of water. He stood up, guitar in his arms as he addressed Levy again. "You think you can do the whistling song?"

She blinked. "What, _'Sparks'_?"

He nodded.

She looked like she was already on to something. "I can work with that one."

"You gonna make your friends sing?"

Levy's head snapped up, and he knew he had given her an idea she really liked. "I have an idea." See?

"Now what?!"

She just smirked. "We've got a couple of good vocalists around tonight, you know."

After that, he watched again as Levy approached Cana, who was sitting on the bar top, drinking merrily. Cana seemed surprised at whatever it was that Levy was telling her. The brunette even turned to look at Gajeel for a second, before grinning widely and sharing a high-five with Levy, looking very enthusiastic.

This time, instead of going back to him, Levy went to Jet and Droy next. Similarly, they looked totally on board with the plan. Whatever the plan was. Was there a plan?

Seriously, Gajeel was starting to regret things. He was not an impromptu person. Yeah, he can be counted on to improvise, but 98% of the time he wanted at least a clear view of how things were gonna go. He preferred things to be grounded - and that night not only did he have only the vaguest of ideas about what Levy was trying to do, he was also pretty tipsy.

But that night, Gajeel was in the company of people who seemed pretty much game with anything you throw at them. Levy just told them what was about to go down, asked them for help, and they rolled with it.

He liked her. See? He was an _honest_ drunk. Really. It's been pretty much going on in his head for weeks now that he liked her, and it was so simple he didn't even bother to name it. He thought it was pretty obvious, anyway. He was not a romantic, and was busy with other stuff, and anyway, Levy always gave him a vibe that she wasn't going anywhere, for some reason. So he just didn't rush. It was as simple as that.

The point is - he wanted to keep being in her company even after this party he didn't even plan on attending, so it was his best option to do what everyone else was doing.

He rolled with it. Whatever. Levy's probably got this shit, anyway. He bet he could screw up and she'll stomp her way through his mess of chords or something and come out of it looking badass.

Shit, he liked her more than he initially thought, huh. Oh well. She was cute and also awesome and if he really thought about it, she was bloody scary. Terrifying. He's 200% sure she could fuck shit up if she wanted to. Gajeel was not stupid: she's a hip-hop and tap dancer, so she's got arm and leg strength for days plus amazing energy reserves and stamina. He bet he'll lose against her on a fight. So who wouldn't like her, really?

 _'Okay, hold up, I've been hanging out with Juvia and Sting too much. I'm actually fucking swooning. I should stop.'_ Gajeel groaned inwardly.

It was impressive what they could prepare in such short a time. A mellow song was just drawing to a close by the time Levy had successfully pulled Gajeel up the stage. Bixlow handed him a pair of headphones for a sound check as they plugged the guitar up to an amplifier. There was also a microphone on a stand in front of him. Meanwhile, Levy was doing some experimental taps in a slightly raised platform that they were able to acquire per Mest's graciousness. Gajeel could see they also managed to set up a microphone by the floor. He knew they had special equipment for that, but the improvised method should work well enough. On the other side of the stage, Cana had her own mic and stand. She didn't test her microphone, just crossed her arms across her chest and looked at the others still dancing.

When the guitar was set, Bixlow sent two thumbs up in the direction of the DJ's booth, where Laxus was standing beside the resident DJ. With a quick nod to the DJ, the blonde took over the controls, cracking his knuckles before raising a hand in acknowledgement.

Gajeel knew what it meant: _'Let's start this thing.'_

Instead of the slow dance fading into a new song, it faded out into silence. Then Cana cleared her throat and spoke into her microphone.

"Attention, folks - we're wrapping up for the night!" she said, smiling mischievously. When she was answered with groans and complaints, she laughed. "Shut up, I'm kidding! Anyways, I can totally do that. 'Cause I'm paying."

"No way! You're not even drunk yet!" someone from the crowd shouted. Gajeel didn't know who, but it was answered instantly.

"Whatever, Natsu!" Cana shouted back. "Okay, listen. It's been brought to my attention..." She glanced at Levy shortly and the shorter woman gave her a shrug. The brunette continued. "That we've got a guitarist on the house tonight. AND BECAUSE HE WON'T DANCE AND I CAN DO WHAT I WANT~ Levy and I thought we should make 'im do his thing, and if he backs down, I'm making him pay for his drinks."

"It was one beer and a pitcher of water." Gajeel deadpanned. Then he realized his microphone was actually switched on. He groaned when the others laughed and sniggered. Levy sent him a peace sign, also giggling.

"You're already standing there, so suck it up." Cana replied, mocking. Then she turned back towards the others. "So yeah. This is totally happening."

Among their audience, Gray had to smile when Juvia practically started bouncing beside him.

Cana just took a deep breath as she whipped her phone out again and then said, "Alright, hit it, Redfox."

Gajeel nodded.

The whole floor was silent.

He could do this, no big deal. Look, there was Cana, who was ready to sing after being asked like only five seconds ago, and there was Levy, who must have come up with a mean routine already after hearing the song that same day. So really, he should be able to do this, right? All he had to do was play the tabs. They weren't even difficult progressions. He could nail this. Just stick to the basics. It wasn't even a hard song if you're just accompaniment…

He stepped forward towards the microphone and whistled the familiar tune.

He heard Levy tap on the floor twice. A cue. Then he took one look at her, and she was looking at him in such an expectant way he actually regretted thinking of going into this thing half-assed.

Okay, so she was expecting him to be as awesome as her. Okay. Uh. Maybe he can at least try to keep up.

He started to whistle again, this time plucking at the strings to the first notes of the song while Levy started some basic tap drills that matched his rhythm. It was really simple, but he was just getting the hang of playing while accompanied by a different kind of percussion.

There were halfway through the first verse now, but there was no sound from the vocalist - just the sound of his guitar and Levy's tapping gradually switching to more rhythmic combinations. He glanced towards Cana, and she just nodded at him. He got the message - _'You have the stage for now.'_

He had switched to the refrain, his playing still basic but more solid as Levy's movements became more dynamic. She added some claps, slides and jumps in, but she was also moving faster. He kept up his pace. Gajeel knew it didn't make much sense, but she somehow sounded like she was actually singing the song. In her own way. The others were starting to clap along, and some were cheering and whistling already.

Dammit, why was she so good? He had to up his game!

That was when she sent him a big smile and he knew what she meant.

They've got this. Time to go all out.

It's the chorus, after all.

Levy jumped and landed to a graceful twirl, and on perfect cue, Gajeel switched to an impressive rhythm section, each note clean and clear, distinct. It was about time he sang along. To add to that, Levy's tapping was on point. She had more stomps this time, her tricks more pronounced and erratic but still in sync with him.

It was a duet.

The cheers from their friends grew louder, and so did their clapping. Some of them were already swaying and jumping to the music created by the unlikely combination. Gajeel looked at them in surprise. It felt like… It felt like a _concert_.

He hasn't played an actual decent concert for so long, he almost forgot how pumped up he got from playing.

He heard Levy laugh, breathless but still dancing. He switched to the second part of the chorus, and he heard Cana whistling to her microphone to accompany his rhythm section and Levy's percussions.

There was applause when they finished the first chorus, but he didn't stop playing. Levy also simply switched into simpler moves to catch her breath. She didn't have to worry, though - because Cana had grabbed her microphone and sent an impressed smirk towards the two.

She came in right on time for the second verse, her voice strong and clear like always, and managing to bring a sultry sound to the song. She was swaying her hips slightly and was looking at her phone as she sang.

 _"Ticking-tocking like a bomb...  
Throws me back to when I had you closer."_

It only occured to Gajeel that she must be looking at the lyrics she got off the internet, and that the brunette must have waited out the first part of the song because she needed to hear what it sounded like so she can sing along.

Fine, he'll say it. Cana Alberona was a beast.

He didn't even notice Jet and Droy come up the stage, taking over the tapping as Levy stepped back, still dancing casually.

 _"Skin to skin, we get it on…"_

Then there was really loud cheering from their audience. Gajeel turned and caught sight of the scene in the dance floor. The crowd had taken several steps away from the stage. That left plenty of empty space in between, and that was where Lucy was pulling Natsu towards. It looks like round two of the dance showdowns for the night was starting.

 _"Without the love I feel you going bolder!"_

It was interesting to see, because they were dancing different styles to the same music. Lucy was dancing contemporary, but with some broadway and jazz roots. Her movements were precise, matching the beat of the song as she did dynamic twirls one after another, punctuated with playful but graceful arm movements.

 _"You can promise castles, treasures, babies - I don't care..."_

Natsu was sticking to hip-hop and breakdancing. Nothing too fancy, mostly floorwork, but still very creative as he moved fluidly and never seemed to stay in one spot too long. It worked like a charm because as Lucy danced in the center, Natsu was the one who moved around her.

 _"'Cause for now you're just enough for me, I want you near."_

Every so often, they would meet, but instead of colliding against each other in a mess, they always seemed to manage to dance through it. There were simple gestures or signals between them. Instead of bumping against Lucy after one of her twirls, Natsu would catch her by the waist, and with a nod, she let him give her an assist as she leapt to his other side. He held her raised hand for balance as she did a quick pirouette, and stepped away again.

 _"Like a fairytale to feel your breath right on my neck."_

When it was Natsu who moved too close, Lucy laid her hands on his shoulders and leaned back slightly to steady him. Then with a small smirk on his face, he made some simple pop-lock arm movements, which she picked up easily and did a variation of it as she stepped smoothly to the side, and he slid past her to continue his own dance.

 _"You remember what I love so baby take me back!"_

It almost looked choreographed, and Gajeel was impressed. So were the others, seeing from the loud cheering that was going on. It wasn't often that they get to see the two dancing together, and both of them looked perfectly comfortable because they were dancing their own styles.

When Gajeel noted sounds that were not from his guitar, the tappers, Cana's voice or the others cheering, he turned towards the DJ booth. Laxus was adding his own touch to the song, expertly pressing keys on the DJ launchpad to add some techno effects.

So far the sound they were making was from an electric guitar, several people tap dancing, strong (impromptu) vocals, and a dubstep launchpad. And it somehow sounded _good_. Good enough that there were two great dancers on the floor dancing their hearts out on two very different styles. By the return of the chorus, Gajeel was just ready for these people to add whatever they want to add to this… whatever it was that they were doing.

 _"Turn the lights down low and kiss me in the dark..."_

So it didn't surprise him anymore when Laki and Lisanna strode forward, dancing jazz - a more snappy style. Both girls were completely confident, bending over, shaking their hips, making high leaps and extending their arms. Their steps were different from each other, but both danced perfectly in sync to the rhythm, so the end product still looked stunning.

 _"...'Cause when you're touching me, baby, I see sparks!"_

This seemed to pull the others in, because Alzack and Bisca also joined them. Gajeel had to resist gaping because hell, the song worked for cha-cha too? And this time, they were actually dancing as partners. Bisca's ballroom footwork was on point, and Alzack maneuvered them around expertly. Their partnership was practically flawless, even managing to insert a couple of impressive ballroom turns and lifts in.

As they did this, Max and Warren were also dancing hip hop, their animation roots showing. Romeo was also able to dance along, a more energetic hip-hop style, with some simple breakdancing in between.

Maybe this got Levy pumped up as well, because she went back to the fray happily, in sync with Jet and Droy as they danced as a trio.

 _"You make my heart go..."_

Gajeel knew Cana was busy singing lead vocals so he leaned over to do the whistling part. It was a pleasant surprise when the sound effects from Laxus' launchpad came in perfect sync with it and actually sounded great.

Meanwhile on the floor, Juvia was watching it all unfold in awe. She held on to Gray's sleeve, and maybe that was what told her this was actually happening. There was so much dancing, all in different ways and styles, by people with different personalities and it may look messy with everything going on, but it was still so... _amazing_. They danced with each another, moving around the floor and sometimes holding on to someone to partner up quickly before going on their way again.

She was about to say something but she heard Erza speak up. "Gray." the red-head called out from Gray's other side. "Are you seeing this?"

"What, the riot?" Gray replied with a chuckle. Both of them were also watching the others, amused smiles on their faces. Yes, they've done plenty of dancing that night, to each other, showing off… but not like this. This one had no showdowns or battles, just being themselves and dancing with friends, with different movements to the same rhythm and beat.

"Yeah, it's a big mess but… look. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Gray looked at her. Erza was looking back, her expression expectant. Gray shook his head in disbelief. He knew what she was trying to say, and he couldn't believe she was actually suggesting it. "That's crazy."

Erza shrugged, her gaze turning back towards the others. "Just think about it."

It seemed like Gray wanted to shake his head, but stopped himself.

The song slowed down for the bridge then, and Gray finally looked at Juvia. "C'mon, we're not missing this."

Juvia blinked as Gray pulled her to join the others. "E-Eh?"

He smirked as they stopped on a free space, raising their linked hands and twirling her around. "They already think you're good, what are you worried about?"

"Juvia is worried about all of this." she answered, voice high-pitched in nerves.

That was when he noticed that all eyes of their fellow dancers were on them.

The bridge was theirs.

"Oh." he said, sheepish. He didn't notice. He was too busy… well, he was too busy looking at Juvia. Oh well. "Hey, I'm here. Let's mess up together."

Somehow that worked, because Juvia only needed to take one deep breath. Then she pulled back and extended her arms gracefully before doing a quick pirouette that she punctuated with a split on the floor. He chuckled as the others cheered, impressed at the sudden feat.

Finally. There she was.

 _"Take it all off, want every inch of you..."_

Gray strode forward, doing smooth pop and lock steps as he maneuvered around her. In turn, Juvia's movements were slow, fluid and deliberate contemporary steps. Both of them danced carefully in calculated movements around each other.

 _"Traveling back in time..."_

They didn't have Natsu's and Lucy's quick coordination yet, but the slower tempo helped. Gray extended his arms expectantly and Juvia made a great leap, with an impressive flip mid-air which he caught before he gave her a lift, her extended legs sweeping in an arc before she curled up in his arms. As soon as he put her down, she switched into floor maneuvers as Gray did several quick pirouettes.

 _"Tangled uptight, just like we used to."_

Juvia turned back to him when she stood up, and he nodded. They both reached out and caught the other's hand, Gray pulling her to him and Juvia twirling around and ending up wrapped in his arms.

 _"Now do that thing I like..."_

They capped the bridge off with a dip, their faces mere inches apart. They heard some cheers and whistles from their friends, and had no time to react as the music picked up on the tempo and rhythm again. Gray just grinned and dropped a kiss on the tip of Juvia's nose before pulling her back up.

Juvia was still in a daze when they both stood back straight, looking around as the others started dancing again. She caught sight of Erza finally pulling Jellal with her, the two dancing a casual ballroom dance. Mira had grabbed Loke again, while Natsu and Romeo had successfully pulled Wendy in to join them.

 _"Turn the lights down low and kiss me in the dark..."_

Gray didn't let go of Juvia as they danced again, this time more casual and carefree.

Gajeel looked around, Levy was enjoying herself tapping with Jet and Droy, Cana was still singing her heart out, and the others were dancing the night away. He caught a glimpse of the others trying to get Wendy to dance… and the girl caved in after a bit of prodding, doing some pretty impressive turns and flips. He almost cheered aloud with the others. He didn't expect Wendy to pull something like that off.

He turned back towards the stage, only to meet Levy's gaze as she was looking right back at him. She sent him one of her winning smiles. It was a look that screamed _'I told you it would be fun!'_

He grinned back, shrugging. She wins this round... because she was right. This night was easily the best fun he's had for ages.

 _"...'cause when you're touching me, baby, I see sparks!"_

Laxus stepped back from the soundboard, letting them have this part. Gajeel looked like he was going all out on that guitar, Levy, Jet and Droy's tap dancing were on point, and Cana's vocals were amazing as always.

Mostly, it was just because he wanted to watch this all go down: the playing, singing and dancing. As he looked around, he spotted Bixlow holding his phone up, probably capturing the highlights in the dancefloor. On another spot, Evergreen was doing the same, this time her phone was focused on the _'band'_ on stage.

 _"You make my heart go…"_

Cana had a satisfied smirk as she heard Gajeel's whistling backing her up. She had only heard this song play once or twice before. Looks like she was able to pull it off. It helped that she's got some great accompaniment keeping her pumped up.

 _"You, you make my heart go..."_

Laxus felt warm arms wrap around his torso from behind and he half-turned to see Freed smiling up at him. "Hey." he greeted.

Freed's voice was hardly audible over the music and the cheering as he asked, "You're done?"

The blonde nodded. "They got this one."

Freed sent him a knowing look. "You like how it sounds, don't you?"

"It's better than I expected." Laxus shrugged. "Levy's always been creative, but this guitar guy? Real good ears."

Freed chuckled. "And the others?"

 _"You, you make my heart go!"_

Laxus shifted so he could face Freed, wrapping an arm around the shorter man. Then, he looked over the dancing crowd again.

He might have been busy with the mixing earlier, but he still caught those dances in the song. Levy's tap dancing was as creative as ever, if not extra inspired because of her new accompaniment. Natsu and Lucy had kicked it all off brilliantly, Laki and Lisanna really weren't to be underestimated, Alzack and Bisca have gone such a long way from being Mira's shy, meek assistants, and the others had their own spin on their own styles. Even Gray and Juvia, who were only just beginning to find their way around each other, practically still gave everyone on the floor chemistry lessons.

"They just smacked me in the face 'bout how good they all are at what they do." he answered. What happened that night was some kind of explosion of talent, and he knew he wasn't the only one who realized that they should be putting these skills and creativity somewhere else. "Yeah, they need more work. Some polishing. But they've all got it in 'em."

"Of course they do! This is the Guild we're talking about." Freed said.

The song had ended, and Cana was asking their audience if they want more. Out of the corner of his eye, Laxus saw Levy, Jet and Droy all hovering around Gajeel, patting him on the back and probably asking him to do another song with them. Levy was clinging to the guitarist's arm and actually jumping up and down in excitement.

"If Erza, Gray and Levy play this right… They can win the contest easily."

Freed replied with a firm voice. "You know they always pull through."

Laxus frowned. "I know they always hold back, even if they don't really mean to."

"You said it yourself, though. They just have to play this right. So believe that they will." Freed said simply, sending his boyfriend a bright, encouraging smile. "You can do that."

It was unfair, Laxus thought. No matter how worried he got, when Freed smiled like this, he always seemed to instantly feel better. "Yeah." he chuckled. "I can do that."

Then somehow, the next thing they knew, almost everyone had gone up on the stage or were standing nearby. Cana was tap dancing to a fierce guitar solo from Gajeel and to the clapping and cheering of their friends. It looked like a battle of some kind. Max held the microphone and was beatboxing. Natsu held the other mic and was goofily narrating the battle as Jet and Droy made exaggerated "oooohhh"s and "aaahhhh"s in reaction.

"They're nerds. All of them." Laxus said.

"You love them anyway." Freed laughed, pulling Laxus with him to join the others.

The blonde sighed. "Yeah, I do."

.

.

end of ch. 14

.

* * *

 **A/N:** Firstly, to answer several questions in the reviews:  
\- Nope, I don't dance hip-hop or contemporary, or... anything, really. I'm great at DDR, though!  
\- And yes, wilathewitch, I'm honored you're taking the chapter as a present. A belated happy birthday to you!

Gajeel being a total lightweight is inspired by one of my irl friends. Like... he's a big tall tough guy and then I discover he's like me, who hasn't had a drop of beer in his entire life (and I'm 23, he's 25). People say we're legendary creatures.

Also, Sparks is complete at 17 chapters. So yeah we're only three chapters away, wee!

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- For the Levy/Gajeel duet: There are two electric guitar covers of "Sparks" in YouTube that I really like: the one by Ceciboy17 and Derrick Holleman. So yeah you can pretty much imagine that's how the song went. Just add the badass tap dancing sounds. Percussive tapping is amazing and it creates such great sounds!  
\- Laxus's techno touches were there to add more layers to the music. If you don't know what a launchpad is, it's the... flat thingy filled with glowing square buttons like a grid. I suck at using it (it takes. great. skill.) but it's really fun **!**  
\- The idea of the guitar plus tap duet is actually inspired by a scene from the movie _'Make Your Move'. **  
**_

 **Next Chapter: Working for the finale number!**  
 _"I want to throw my shoes at her. Can I throw my shoes at her?"  
"No, you might scare her off."  
_


	15. With A Smile

**A/N:** This is a very self-indulgent chapter. Well, Sparks is a very self-indulgent fic in general, but this chapter especially.

The song choice is a bit different. Most of you might not be familiar with it, because it's by a local Filipino band, but lemme tell you guys that this song is basically some sort of anthem of a whole generation (or two) of teens here. You can listen to the original and some covers at YouTube, if you wanna check it out. It's one of my all-time favorites, and the musical scene here is actually inspired from personal experience.

More on that in the notes after the chapter, since I don't wanna keep you here and I'm sure you just wanna get on with reading!

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 15:**  
 _("_ _You'll get by.._ _")  
_ **With a Smile  
** _("You can't win on everything but you can try.")_  
\- Eraserheads

.

The music still continued even after Juvia had stopped moving. She still had to make a final cut of that song, but she was saving that for when she's sure of her choice.

Right then, her mind was on something else. Something more important. The verdict. She stood still, tensed and nervous in front of Erza, Laki and Lisanna.

Gray was standing to the side by the speakers. Juvia had finally asked some of the others for their opinion on her routine. Gray had seen how she danced just then - it was a polished performance, far from her nervous dance for him back from day one. She didn't stumble and she held her head high this time. Maybe the night spent carefree dancing with the others was enough to break down the remaining walls she put up between her dancing and her new friends.

Lisanna and Laki both turned towards Erza. The red-head glanced towards Gray first before clearing her throat and speaking.

"Juvia, you should know that when Gray compliments someone, he means it. So if he says you're good, he does think you're good." Erza said.

Juvia nodded nervously.

"Now what you have to know is when he gives someone a compliment, most likely he will go to us after and rant about it. So if he told you that you're good, that meant he came to us and screamed that you're brilliant. And he did that, actually."

This time, Juvia looked down, blushing furiously. Lisanna and Laki both giggled while Gray complained. "I'm right here, you know."

"I know." Erza said, a sly smile on her face. Then she looked at Juvia again. "But seriously, we took it with a grain of salt because we know he's got a crush on you-"

"-I'M STILL HERE-"

"-and now we know he wasn't overreacting. It was brilliant, Juvia." the woman finished, and nodded when she saw Juvia finally letting out a relieved sigh.

"I want to throw my shoes at her." Lisanna said. "Can I throw my shoes at her?"

Laki shook her head, laughing. "No, you might scare her off."

Juvia blinked, confused. "W-What-...?"

"Don't worry. 'Round here, that's a sign of great respect." Gray explained, switching the speakers off before joining them.

"It means I'm gonna give up on dance because I can't ever do something as awesome as what you just did." Lisanna continued. When Juvia gaped, she laughed good-naturedly. "I kid with the quitting thing. But not with the awesome thing. It was great, Juvia-chan! Super."

"So… any notes?" Gray asked their three judges. He didn't know why but he felt like he was being judged alongside Juvia. Maybe it was because he was always the one telling them how good she is.

Laki was the one who spoke up first. "I saw like two parts where you could have held on to an extension for a bit longer. I think it would look more fluid that way."

"Oh. Juvia will work on that! Thank you, Laki-san!" Juvia beamed.

Lisanna followed. "I can give you some tips on some of the flips you did. I bet you can do them faster and lighter… y'know, avoid chances of stumbling after? Other than that, I think it's pretty solid."

"She's right. It is a really solid routine." Erza nodded. "The panel should love it. Aside from what Laki and Lisanna said, I don't have anything else… They're more technical than me, anyway. But I really think it's a great piece, really creative and mature. And I can see some of Gray's touches there, which puts an interesting spin on the style."

Gray and Juvia looked at each other, then blinked at Erza.

Lisanna chuckled, Laki shook her head in amusement, and Erza just raised an eyebrow. "You two didn't notice?"

"What're you talkin' about?" Gray asked.

"I just mean… Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Juvia's style always had that slightly snappy quality. She goes back and forth between fluid to isolated, and it's really interesting to see."

Juvia looked down, as if realizing something. Yes, she did add some… roughness on some of her routines. She just thought that moving so smoothly all the way doesn't work on some of the songs, so she took some inspiration from… Gray's hip-hop. Well, damn - Erza was right.

"Also Gray, your lyrical hip-hop's really been intricate lately. You started adding more smooth moves. And I think we all know why."

Gray scratched his head, trying to come up with an explanation. "...uh. It's just… It's more chill that way. Less tense. More comfortable to watch… Easier on the eyes. Right?"

Erza nodded. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I actually love it. It's hard to keep up with you when you're on straight pop-lock mode, you know. So it's nice that you give yourself and everyone else some time to breathe."

"I bet you guys will rub off on each other more since you're also starting to do duets." Laki added.

Erza nodded again. She was pleasantly surprised when Juvia asked her for some tips on partnerwork, telling her Gray agreed to practice together.

"Oh. Yeah. What's that about?" Lisanna asked. "Are you planning to do a duet in the auditions, Juvia-chan?"

Juvia blinked. "Is that… allowed?"

"Of course! I know some people who both got in and did a duet for their auditions. So you know, they can pull more complicated moves. And also so they don't get too nervous since they'll be dancing with someone."

"But I'm not auditioning." Gray said.

"Some of them just bring a partner along, but the panel will only judge the one auditioning, obviously." Laki answered. "I heard it helps out a lot… since the partner can give you an assist so the stunts come out more impressive."

Juvia looked uncertain. "Well… we're just… Juvia just wants to get used to dancing with others."

Gray nodded. "Just so she won't start from scratch when she gets in. It's a company, after all."

"Oh." Lisanna frowned. "It's a shame. You two are great partners."

"How d'you know? We've hardly danced a routine together." the man raised an eyebrow. Juvia beside him also looked lost.

"Um, Sunday Night at Era?" Laki reminded them.

"Dude, you two danced like you were in a dance movie's token romance number." Lisanna said, laughing. "All y'need is great choreography, 'cause you've got the chemistry and connection down already."

Erza agreed with them. "I do think if you two have the right routine, you can pass that audition as a duet, with flying colors. There's so many advantages, plus you're both great contemporary dancers.

"Your song choice is a love song. A duet will really make 'em feel it. You know, since you both dance lyrical." Laki added. "There's practically no reason why you shouldn't do it."

The silence that followed was awkward.

"Uh… we're not… sure." Gray tried, looking towards Juvia for her opinion.

"It's okay…" Juvia said with a small reassuring smile. "Juvia doesn't want to bother Gray. There's the contest coming up."

"Yeah, I guess we should focus on that." Lisanna sighed.

"Oh well. Just thought it would be interesting. But if you guys ever need help making a contemporary duet, you know where to find me." Erza said, standing up and stretching. "It's almost dinnertime. I'm on cooking duty, so I'll leave you guys to it."

Gray and Juvia watched as Erza left, followed by Laki and Lisanna who also excused themselves. He helped her stand up so they can clean up. Gray noted that Juvia was silent as they gathered their things.

"You know… I'd be honored if you asked me to go be your partner for the audition." he said. Juvia looked at him, blushing slightly. He looked away, hesitant. "But… I dunno, I might hold you back. I'm not as good at this style as you are."

She frowned. "That's not true. Gray is a great partner!"

"Yeah, well… there's that, I guess." he said, smiling a small smile. "But yeah, if you really need me… I'll try my best."

Juvia smiled back as she walked towards him and reached out. He caught her hand and she gave his a light squeeze. "Thank you, Gray."

Gray shrugged, squeezing her hand back. "Anytime."

.

* * *

.

Gray walked with Juvia until she was on a safe route to Gajeel's apartment on her bike. He waved her goodbye and watched her disappear down the road before he headed back towards the Guild.

Erza and Levy were in the middle of preparing dinner in the kitchen. The others were either still out, or on their own rooms.

"What're we having?" he asked, leaning on the counter as he watched the two women sitting across each other on the table, both of them chopping a bunch of vegetables and some meat.

"Chinese-style fried rice." Levy answered. "With meat toppings and stuff."

"Bisca's request." Erza added. "And then the guys all asked for it, too. So… popular demand, I guess."

Gray nodded, then went to the kitchen to retrieve a knife and a chopping board for himself. He sat with them on the table, grabbed a carrot, and started chopping as well.

After a while, Levy spoke up. "So… what's our plan?"

There was a momentary halt in the activities as Erza and Gray both stopped to look at each other. Levy blinked at them, and watched as both continued chopping vegetables again.

Erza asked, "Have you thought about it, Gray?"

He sighed. "Yeah. It's just… can we do it?"

"You saw what happened last night." Erza said. "Give them a song they know, let them dance their hearts out however they want. It just works. That's… that's how it always worked with us, right?"

Levy picked up on the conversation easily. "You guys think we should do our own styles?"

Gray looked like he was trying real hard to go against the idea, while Erza nodded towards Levy. "I've been thinking about it… not the contest, but… what comes after. If we win this thing, we get a contract, and we get to dance some more, right? But you and Jet and Droy? Laki and Lisanna… you guys still won't be dancing your styles. Yes, we get jobs as dancers, but half of the team won't be doing what they're best at. Won't that be just like how things are now? We all have day jobs not because it's what we really want to do, but because it's what makes money?"

Levy looked down, considering the red-head's words. She had to admit she hadn't thought that far. Dancing hip-hop was alright for her. She liked it… but mostly because of the company. She loved dancing with everyone. But if she had to choose, she still loved tap the most.

She looked towards Gray then, and he looked like he was thinking hard about it. After a while, he said, "So you're saying, we make this huge number… with hip-hop, tap, and contemporary?"

"Yes, it's not impossible. Natsu and Lucy dance different styles together without even thinking about it, and they look brilliant." Erza said, her voice hopeful - they can hear her mental gears turning already. She was inspired.

"Imagine if they had time to actually choreograph..." Levy mumbled softly. She looked up. "Gray, it could be amazing. We can all show them what we can do."

"I'm not saying it's impossible." Gray said. "But… are we allowed to? The contest is called the Street Dance Battle-"

He was cut off when a familiar voice chimed in. "Oh, what's this? Brainstorming session?" The three of them looked up as Mira joined them, taking a seat in the table. Laxus was right behind her, and wordlessly headed towards the fridge to get a drink.

"Um… kinda." Levy answered. "We're thinking of… doing other dance styles for the performance."

"Really?" Mira blinked. She exchanged a thoughtful look with Laxus, who casually leaned against the counter nearby, can of soda in hand. It was evident he was staying for the discussion. "Why so?"

"So everyone gets to really show off." Erza answered. "So we're all at full power. With our crew right now just using hip-hop, it's like half of us are holding back."

"That's a good point." Mira mused. "Are you guys ready to come up with choreography that can bring out all those styles, though?"

"Between the three of us here, we already have different styles." Erza said, looking at Levy and Gray, who both nodded.

"Then what's the problem?" Laxus asked. "Do it. You guys are the brains and creativity on this. We're the support, we back you up whatever you do."

"The technicalities." Levy said, glancing at Gray. "That's the problem. It's the _'Street Dance Battle'_. What exactly is allowed?"

"Um… technically… street dance should mean any dance people do on the streets. Even improv dance battles should count." Mira said. "Right… Laxus?"

The blonde breathed deeply before he spoke up. "Gray, you perform on the street. What do you do?"

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Popping and locking?"

Laxus nodded. "Levy, you?"

"Tap." Levy answered.

He looked at Erza.

The red-head thought about it. "Whatever works. Usually jazz and funk."

Then Laxus smirked. "Mira, how 'bout you?"

Mira looked at him with a suspicious smile. "You've proven your point, why are you still asking me?"

"Nah, just thought these guys would like 'ta know." the blonde shrugged.

"Mira, you performed on the streets too?" Erza asked. Both Levy and Gray were also looking at the woman in surprise. In the time that they've known Mirajane, they've always known she was a dancing assistant or instructor in the studios.

"Yep. When I was just starting out… Maybe a couple of months when times were really tough." Mira answered, bashful. "Some ballroom solos now and then… and a number of times I paired up with… someone's boyfriend."

The other three looked at Laxus.

Laxus narrowed his eyes at Mira. "I didn't ask you to tell 'em details about my love life."

Mira huffed and the others looked at her this time. "You started it."

"No, you did." - at this point, Erza, Levy and Gray were basically watching a verbal tennis match. "You said _'Hey Laxus, I'm dancing downtown in front of the old donut shop! Come see me!'_ Then I go there and you're dancing with Freed."

"He actually said _'What the hell are you doing?'_ out loud." Mira giggled. "And he looked so scary-"

"That was my surprised face."

"I mean, he's this big tough krumper so he always looked scary-"

"I just didn't expect that he could dance, alright?"

"-and Freed got so upset because he had a crush on Laxus but Laxus was a big meanie."

Laxus groaned. "Would you let me live that down?!"

"Laxus was just surprised, really! 'Cause Freed's hips don't lie." Mira said with a wink.

"Shut up. I just had a hard time processing the information. That's all."

"Oh, you agree with me?"

"I do, but shut up. 'Cause I'm tryin' to focus on the problem at hand and you're not helping."

Levy and Erza were gaping. "Freed can dance too?!"

"He had some ballroom lessons way back so I asked him to accompany me on a particularly busy day." Mira said, shrugging. "He's not really fond of it, but you know how he is. Never does things half-heartedly. So when he actually does, he makes sure it's good."

"And we didn't know you danced on the streets." Gray said, turning towards Mira. She had always been the _'big sister with a stable job who takes care of everyone'_ for him.

Mira just smiled cheekily. "It's good for extra cash! Besides, the people seem to like it."

"Pretty girl shaking her hips on the sidewalk." Laxus snorted. "Of course they like it."

Mira pouted at him.

"It's great, though." the man conceded. "I mean it. Your solos are killer."

That part, the others had no problem believing. The people who say that one can't solo on ballroom only need to watch Mira sometime to be proven very _very_ wrong.

Going back to topic, Levy spoke again. "So… does that mean technically we won't be breaking contest rules if we dance our own styles?"

"I think so." Mira answered.

"S'long as you can make it look like somethin' that would stop people in their tracks." Laxus said with a shrug. "How do we do it in the streets?"

"We turn on the music, then start moving." Erza said simply.

Levy continued. "Keep moving until we get enough people interested."

Gray followed. "And then just give them a show good enough for them to throw money on the hat."

Laxus raised a hand palm up as if to say, _'There you have it.'_ while Mira beamed at them.

"So… we're doing it?" Levy asked Gray and Erza.

"It will be a challenge." Gray sighed, but not in resignation. It looked more like he was bracing himself.

"Well, we're not known for backing down." Erza chuckled. Then she looked towards Mira and Laxus again. "If we do it… and it doesn't look good enough, you guys will tell us, right?"

The two shared another look before Mira nodded. "You can count on us!"

"Talk it out with the others. Although I bet they're up for the challenge. You guys are crazy like that." Laxus said. "Now get back to making dinner."

The man just shook his head, and Mira laughed as Erza, Levy and Gray all scrambled to continue the chore they didn't notice they stopped doing.

.

* * *

.

After dinner, Erza, Gray and Levy found themselves standing in front of their housemates again to explain the game plan. When Erza told them her suggestion, she was met with surprised reactions.

"You wanna make us all dance our own dance?" Natsu asked, voice loud as always. "All at the same time?"

"We'll have a choreo. And switching formations, and some chorus parts of course." Erza answered. "But yes, we'll try to showcase all the styles we know. That's the idea."

Max raised a hand. "And that's so no one's holding back?"

"That's the point." Gray said. "But we'll only do it if you guys want to. Think about it. We already showed in the video that we're not afraid of switching things up."

"We can sell our team better when we show them a complete package." Levy followed up. They came up with some pretty valid points while making dinner. "Don't you guys think the ones offering a performance contract would prefer a group who can do more stuff?"

"It's a good call." Cana spoke up from her seat on the corner. "This is still publicity for you guys. If you don't get that contract from the contest, you were still able show off a good range of skills and get others interested. You can still get offers that way."

"Alright, I'm game." Jet said, with an excited smile. "S'about time I actually tap, you know."

"Same." Droy said, chuckling nervously. "I wanna tap on an actual stage."

"I'm eager to point my toes in a contest for once." Laki said, smiling back as Lisanna beamed at her and nodded excitedly.

Warren smiled towards their three leaders. "I'm sure you guys will come up with something great."

"Okay, hold up, everyone." Max said aloud then. His eyes were on his phone. "I started checkin' the guidelines to make sure we're not breaking any rule by doing this, and… we might have a tiny problem…"

Levy and Gray exchanged looks. Erza frowned. "We can't do different styles?"

"No, actually, it says nothing about that here. It just said _'dance performance that showcases the talent in the streets of Crocus'_ so… I think we're good on that one. I don't think it's against the rules."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I'm sorry, I can't believe I didn't notice this before. It says here, we need at least 15 people in the finals." Max said, scratching his head nervously. "Damn."

"We've only got ten." Levy groaned.

Gray turned to Erza. "I guess they're really gunning to hire a large group after this."

Erza nodded, but then turned back towards the others easily. "So we need more people." She met Mira's eyes then, and she realized something. "Now that we're doing different styles, who wants in?"

Alzack and Bisca raised their hands. Bisca sent the red-head a smile. "We're in if there's room for some ballroom in that routine."

"I'll make sure there is." Mira said, and she smiled as everyone turned towards her. "Count me in this time."

The announcement was met by a very enthusiastic response from the others. Mira was a force in the dance floor. With Alzack and Bisca joining as well, it was like a big boost.

"Thanks, Mira." Erza said, appreciative. "We need two more."

"Gods, if we're allowed to join, we would." Lucy grumbled. Beside her, Cana sighed.

"It's alright. We know you're still in this with us, Lu-chan." Levy reassured the blonde. Then she turned towards the rest of the group. Elfman was not a dancer. Same with Evergreen and Bixlow. Laxus had stopped dancing after an injury, was already busy enough as their DJ and- "Freed?"

The man shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, Levy. I'm not that good." he extended the apology to Mira as well, and the woman just nodded, accepting his answer.

Laki then spoke up. "What about Juvia-chan? You can't keep her from us anymore, Gray. She's too awesome."

"She is?" Natsu asked. "I mean, I know she's good, but that good?"

"Yup." Lisanna confirmed. "We saw her dance a while ago. It was mind-blowing."

"No." Gray shook his head, sighing. "She's got her own thing going on, remember? Gotta prepare for her auditions. We can't distract her from that."

There were disappointed noises, but everyone accepted the answer easily, as well. They know the auditions meant a lot to Juvia, and they wanted the best for her.

"Wait, just two more, right?" Natsu spoke up then.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Got people in mind?"

The man grinned confidently as he asked Max, "Hey, s'there anything in the rules 'bout an age limit?"

.

* * *

.

Wendy was sitting on one of the benches in the school yard, going through a paper that was due in the coming week. Normally, she would have headed home straight after school… but for some reason Romeo sent her a text asking her to wait for him because he's got something important for her. Romeo was one of her best friends. So she waited. The thing is, it's been fifteen minutes and Romeo was still nowhere in sight.

 _"Yeah! And you won't believe it, but-"_

She looked up from her reading when she heard the familiar voice. Finally! She wanted to go home and finish up on her homework- What the...?

Wendy sat still, with surprise and terror on her face, as she saw Romeo walking towards her direction. He wasn't alone.

"There she is! Wendy, hey!" he exclaimed, pointing enthusiastically towards Wendy's direction as if showing her off to his companion.

His companion was a tall and pretty girl with bright pink hair on pigtails, who smiled brightly towards Wendy's direction before saying something to Romeo again. Romeo nodded and led the pink-haired girl with him.

The first thought that went through Wendy's mind was _'OH MY SKIES SHE LOOKED AT ME'_ followed by _'SHE'S SO PRETTY'_ and finally _'WAIT. WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ROMEO-KUN?!'_ before she scrambled to hide her things, straighten her shirt, fix her hair and stop blushing in the three seconds it would take for Romeo and Chelia to reach her. She didn't know how she succeeded in three out of those four tasks, but hey.

"Wendy, guess what!" Romeo said as soon as he reached his blushing mess of a best friend. Beside him, Chelia was beaming at Wendy and bouncing, looking like she was struggling to contain herself, but letting Romeo speak for her.

Wendy's voice came out much higher than usual. "W-What? W-W-Who- What? Guess what what?"

She inwardly screamed. Dammit, she sounded horrible.

Romeo looked really proud of himself as he explained. "I was passin' by the lockers and I saw Chelia here- um, Chelia, this is Wendy. Wendy, Chelia. So yeah, she was watchin' a vid. Guess what vid it is?"

Wendy looked very afraid. "W-What is it?"

"The vid from the party last Sunday!"

"T-There was a video from last Sunday?!"

"Didn't you know, Bix uploaded it? 'Cause a lotta people followed our channel after the dance battle entry vid, and everyone thought we should upload something as thanks for the subscribers 'cause we got in- Seriously, it's like you don't have internet."

"Wait, we-… The Guild?"

"Duh! So the stuff was great, and Bix and Ever got some awesome moments on cam so they decided to post 'em."

"O-Okay...?" Wendy said shakily, glancing at Chelia before it hit her. "Am I… in the video?"

"Hell yeah, you are. There's no way they're cuttin' your parts, 'cause they're awesome." Romeo shrugged, then got back on track. "So! Turns out Chelia subscribed to the channel after watching the entry vid so she saw the new one too! And she likes it a lot!"

"It's so cool!" Chelia squealed, finally letting it out. "The whole thing's amazing! And-… and then Romeo told me that one of the people I was watching was just here in this school, and I just had to meet you because oh my gosh, it's so awesome!"

Wendy could hardly believe what she was hearing. Then she turned towards Romeo again, this time helpless. "I'm in the video?!"

Romeo sighed. "Yeah. You are. In the video."

Then to Wendy's surprise, Chelia sat on the bench beside her, holding her phone and tapping furiously. She found the aforementioned video quickly and skipped to a certain part. "You're my favorite part of the video! It was like, all these amazing dancers… and then I saw this girl who could be my age and she danced so well!"

Wendy looked down at the video - it was her solo from one of the many dance breaks they had from the party. She liked the party. She always enjoyed dancing with the others, and yes maybe she got a little too carried away in that one number. In her defense, everyone else were dancing their hearts out too. "Oh… I… thanks, I'm not that good, really… Compared to the others-"

Chelia shook her head. "No way, I wish I could move like you! I always wanted to be a dancer, but I got two left feet and I'm super clumsy. Oh, and your friends! I'm a fan of that Icona Pop video."

"Wendy helped set it up." Romeo added, sending a wink towards Wendy before continuing. "We both kinda assisted on some of the rehearsals, and helped with the set up while they were taping."

"It sounds so nice." Chelia smiled. "You've got a lot of people on your team! Mine's just three or four, y'know… when we record and shoot those cover songs for my channel..."

Wendy fiddled with the hem of her dress. "I… I'm a fan of your work. You're a great singer."

The other girl looked delighted. "Really?! Well, I'm your fan from now on, too!"

"W-What? No, I'm-… I'm not even-"

"Wendy, right? You're a sophomore? I haven't met a dancer like you before." Chelia said. "You should be more proud, you were totally awesome! And it was freestyle!"

Wendy nodded shyly.

Chelia looked down at her phone again, swiping through the Guild's channel. "I haven't seen you on the other videos, though… Oh! Will you guys be dancing for the contest? I mean, the finals thingy…?"

Before either Romeo and Wendy could answer, a new voice spoke up. "Yup! They're on the crew!"

All three teenagers turned to see Natsu joining them, sitting on the table with a big grin on his face.

"Natsu-san?" Wendy blinked.

"What're you doin' here?" Romeo asked, raising an eyebrow.

But Natsu just ignored the two and turned to Chelia, extending a hand. "Hi! You're Chelia, right? Wendy loves you-"

Wendy made a grab for the man's sleeve. "Natsu-san!"

"-your videos! We all do! Your singing is great." Natsu said, sending a sly smile towards Wendy for a moment. The girl sighed as he addressed Chelia again. "I'm Natsu, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you!" Chelia shook his hand, enthusiastically. Between the two of them, they could probably power the whole city. "You're a member of the… dance group? Right?"

"The Guild." the man supplied. "Did you like our vid?"

The girl nodded cheerfully. "Oh, yes, I did! It's so good."

"Thanks!" Natsu beamed, then finally addressed the other two teens. "You and you. Finish your homework. We got rehearsals every night from 6 to 12. Well, just 10 for you 'cause you're students. You can eat dinner at home or just at the Guild, whatever works."

"Rehearsals for what?" Romeo asked.

"The dance battle, what else?"

"We're… dancing too?" Wendy blinked.

"Yup. We need two dancers to make the quota. You're those two. I already talked to your 'rents, they're good with it, s'long as we make sure you guys don't skip school and finish your homework before dancing." Natsu explained bluntly. "Oh, and Elf will drive you guys home if it gets too late."

Wendy and Romeo looked at each other, and when they snapped out of it, they had very different reactions.

"AWESOME!" Romeo exclaimed, exchanging a fistbump with Natsu. "Are you gonna teach me more tricks?"

"Hm, probably. 'Cause we're the only B-boys on the team." Natsu shrugged.

Meanwhile, Wendy was in clear distress. "Natsu-san, I don't dance hip-hop!"

Natsu simply ruffled her hair reassuringly. "We've got you covered. Laki and Lisanna ain't dancin' hip-hop either. Just come over later, Erza and Levy will explain it better."

"I still… I don't know if I can dance. I'm not as good as you-"

"Boo. You'll nail it. 'sides, Chelia wants to see you dance." Natsu teased, looking at Chelia. "Right, Chelia?"

Chelia looked unsure, knowing her newfound friend was feeling uncomfortable. She didn't know these people all that much, but with Natsu's subtle nod, she concluded that his heart was in the right place.

She smiled. "I think you'll do great, Wendy."

"S'about time you get to show off." Romeo followed their lead. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

Wendy thought about it for a moment longer, looking at the encouraging, smiling faces from three very special people for her.

Her best friend, her big brother, and her crush. It was unfair, them ganging up on her like this. But if she were to be honest, she really does want to try.

So she nodded. "Okay, I'll try." The other three cheered. Wendy sighed. Really. Unfair. She'll never be able to say _'no'_ to those smiles.

"Great! Mission success! Gotta go now. Have to run to work." Natsu said, hopping down from his perch on the table and grabbing his bag. "See you two tonight!" He extended a fist towards Chelia, who giggled as she bumped her fist with his. "You can go with 'em. If you wanna. Wendy's a kickass dancer-"

"Natsu-san!" Wendy pouted. Gods. Sometimes they're more embarrassing than parents.

Natsu pouted right back. "Alright, I'm leaving! Be good kids! Don't do drugs!"

The three teenagers watched as the man jogged away and disappeared through the school gates. Without prompting, they all gathered their things and decided to head home as well, walking together.

Chelia was asking Wendy about her dance background when Romeo spoke up. "Hey, Chelia, d'you know Lucy Heartfilia?"

Wendy gaped at her best friend, while Chelia blinked. "Of course I do! I look up to her so much-"

"-Wendy knows her too. Personally."

Wendy didn't know what to do when Chelia clung to her and started asking her a whole new bunch of different questions. After stammering her answers, she managed to get a better grip on herself and carry a normal conversation.

She didn't know exactly how her day ended up like this - and how suddenly she's got her crush on her arm and a dance crew for a big-shot competition - all she knew was that she's had a crazy day.

Correction: she's having a crazy day. There's still a few hours left.

But hey, when Romeo held his hand up, Wendy didn't hesitate to give him a high-five. After all, she's got the best wingman ever.

.

Gajeel's afternoon was peaceful. The CD shop was playing some chill jazz tracks, there were no customers, and he was just reading a music magazine.

Oh, and Sting and Rogue were both really quiet. There were no awkward stammering and flattering going on as the two teens just sat huddled together in the battered couch on one corner of the shop. They had finished all the miscellaneous shopkeeping tasks, plus there were no customers, so Gajeel let them slack off. Sting was tapping away on his iPad while Rogue was very focused on his newly-bought phone.

"Lector is eating all my food." Sting grumbled. "How's Frosch?"

Rogue blinked. "He stuck his head in the donut thing. Is that normal?"

"Don't worry, he'll get tired of that eventually."

Apparently the one thing that was able to convince Rogue to get a phone was not _'you can call and text your boyfriend anytime!'_ but _'there's a game with lots of cats in it!'_.

They named their cats after their actual cats. (Apparently they met each other while buying cat food, what the hell?) Gajeel still hates Sting for naming the really cute cat after him. Gajeel wanted to be the black badass cat, dammit.

Nevertheless, it was a peaceful afternoon, and Gajeel was determined to enjoy it.

So of course that's when the little bundle of energy named Levy stepped right in, humming and skipping. When she closed the door behind her, she stopped to listen to the music for a beat before nodding in appreciation.

"Oh. Uh. Welcome to _'For the Record'_!" Sting greeted cheerfully. Gajeel really should hire the kid already. He was surprisingly competent whenever Gajeel told him to make himself useful...

"Good afternoon!" Levy greeted back. When she saw that Rogue was about to stand up to assist her, she raised her hands. "Oh, no need! I'm here for Gajeel."

The teens just looked at her for a bit before they went back to their phones.

"Huh." Gajeel huffed, not looking up from his magazine. "You really should buy something from this shop already. You're here a lot."

Levy chuckled as she perched on the chair by the counter again, like the last time she was in the place. "Oh, don't worry. I'm here for a new pair of earphones too."

He looked up at her. "Alright. What're you gettin'?"

"I'm not really specific on brands." Levy shrugged. "It's just for me. For my phone and maybe my laptop. Anything that sounds good and doesn't break easily. What do you recommend?"

"You know this is a record store, not a cafe." he said, but nevertheless put his magazine down and leaned over towards the display rack behind him. He considered for a moment before taking an item and then setting it in the table before his customer.

Levy blinked down at it. It was a pair of in-ear earphones, with an orange and white color scheme, by a brand that was not the most popular, but not exactly unknown. There was a small plastic ribbon clipped in the cable, and it came with a case shaped and designed like a donut. It was even decorated with sprinkles.

"It's... cute." she said. She meant it - it was cute! Too cute. She was absolutely delighted, but she also didn't know if Gajeel was messing with her or not.

"Like you." he replied, nodding.

Levy raised an eyebrow because he sounded perfectly serious. "Um… No offense, but are you still drunk?"

At this, he rolled his eyes. He also took a moment to glare at Sting sniggering and Rogue smiling wider than usual in their corner before he turned to Levy again. "I had one beer last last night. Let me live, shortcake."

"Okay." she said, trying not to laugh. She picked up the still-packaged item. "So is this good?"

"It's quality for a good price. Actually got good bass. Also quite sturdy. If you're not too music-savvy with the expensive brands, this one's good." he answered. "Don't be fooled by the cuteness."

She nodded easily, trusting his (surprisingly sweet and adorable?) judgement. "Then I'll take you up for it. I'll get this one."

"You wanna test it?"

"No need. It's got a warranty, right?"

"One month."

"Noted." was all she said and just hummed as she watched him ring up her purchase.

She paid the bill when prompted, and while Gajeel wrapped the item in a paperbag with the store's logo printed on it, he asked, "So what're you _really_ here for?"

Levy had been waiting for him to ask. She accepted her purchase first before asking, "I'll get straight to the point, is that fine with you?"

"Yeah, go shoot."

"We're mixing up the styles for the battle number. There's gonna be tap, and we need a custom arrangement for one of the songs. You're brilliant. The others loved what you did back at the party, and Laxus says he can work with you. So will you please please PLEASE work with us for this one?"

He looked at her blankly. "Are you serious?"

Levy must have taken that as some sort of rejection, because she went on to say, "We'll pay. We can't promise anything too big, but we'll pay you what we can-"

"No, shut up." he shook his head, then broke into a grin. "Last Sunday was the best gig I've had for ages. I'll do it for free."

Levy gaped at him in shock. "R-Really?!"

Gajeel shrugged, obviously trying to keep cool but he couldn't help but chuckle. "When do we start?"

"THANK YOU! YOU'RE THE BEST!" she squealed. He let out a yelp when Levy leaned over the counter and threw her arms around his neck, giving him a hug so tight he never thought it could come from someone as tiny as her.

Gajeel just stood there, mumbling a flustered _'You're welcome'_ and glaring towards Sting and Rogue, as both of them were undoubtedly snapping a photo to preserve the moment.

He'll confiscate those phones after this.

But for the meantime, he was short of breath - and he suspected it's not just because of Levy's chokehold - so he pat her back awkwardly to let her know that she already got her point across and she can let go now.

The woman left with a huge smile on her face (really, he thought to himself, does she ever stop being a bright ray of sunshine?), excited to bring the good news to her friends. If she left Gajeel a blushing, stammering mess because she dropped a quick peck on his cheek before taking off, he was not letting Sting and Rogue spread the news.

.

It somehow reached Juvia anyway. Gajeel cursed the day those three exchanged numbers.

.

* * *

.

If he were to be completely honest, Gajeel had never been to an actual creative brainstorming session before. He had been with some decent bands but they always do the thinking separately and work under orders from their leader. He had recorded some of his songs, but always as instrumental tracks and only by himself.

But there he was, a day after Levy asked him to work with them, in the middle of what he only assumed to be a normal scene in Laxus' work area. In that one crowded room was a bustle of activity. It didn't surprise him that there were a lot of people around since he knew they were a tight-knit bunch, but what surprised him was how involved everyone was.

On the couch, Freed, Evergreen and Bisca were going through some fashion sketches - it looks like they were trying to come up with a uniform concept for the number. Natsu and Romeo were watching some breakdance videos on the internet, perhaps trying to see what they can pull off. Max and Laki looked like they were tallying something - it took Gajeel a while to find out that they were trying to switch up the rotation of the chores to fit with everyone shifting their schedules to make more time for rehearsals again. Bixlow, Warren and Lisanna were on another table, tinkering with some sort of electronic stuff. There were sparks every now and then and it looked like they were trying to make some tiny lights or something? Alzack, Jet and Droy were sorting through some old equipment from the storage. After a while, Elfman also came in with Juvia and Wendy in tow, the trio bringing snacks for everyone.

As for Gajeel, he was standing among others as Laxus discussed the mix they were working on. The man was taking opinions from Erza, Levy, Gray and Mira, who were the ones arranging the over-all choreography, from Lucy and Cana who were backing up their concept and acting as devil's advocates, and finally from Gajeel on the musical arrangement. The DJ wasn't afraid to get technical, and answered questions promptly and clearly when someone asked him to elaborate on something.

Gajeel was even more surprised when they kept asking for his input. He fumbled around for a while before he got used to voicing out his opinions. It was kind of amazing, he thought, that they all had really different ideas but somehow always found a way to work around the differences and make things work. They never hesitate to ask and to answer. He was seeing how much everyone mattered here.

It was a new thing to him, and he knew that was kind of fucked up, but he shook that off and kept his head in the game. They were giving their all into this project-slash-fight, and they called him in because they thought he could help. The least he could do was keep up.

He pulled away from his musings in time to catch Levy and Erza suggesting that Gajeel record a guitar instrumental accompanied by some of Laxus' launchpad mixing, like how they did in the party at Era.

"I dunno, guys." Gray seemed to be skeptical about it. "It's a really fast song, right? The one you're gonna be tapping to?"

"We were thinking of adding some ballroom on it too." Mira said. "The song is really heavy on the percussions and beats, though… Taking all of that out and replacing it with tap..."

"Plus having a guitar share the emphasis." Gray added. "You guys sure we shouldn't just edit the track? I mean, I'm sure Gajeel can come up with a great solo for it, but I don't think it would be the right song choice to strip down."

The dancers looked towards their DJ and music… err… consultant person (that's what he's technically there for, right? Gajeel wasn't sure but it was better than 'second opinion'). Laxus looked at Gajeel. "You up for a guitar arrangement?"

Gajeel thought about it. "I can do it. I'm familiar with the song." - of course he was, it was in the tap mix he made for Levy. "But I mean… will it work?"

"Hell if I know, but it sounds like a good spin on things." Laxus shrugged. "The launchpad might help it blend in with the other songs. And if you're worried three tappers aren't enough for percussion, we can record some and add it like a backup overlay, just to make the arrangement sound fuller. We'll make it work like last time."

"That sounds reasonable." Erza considered.

Laxus nodded. "Y'know what they say - creativity should always be encouraged. Judgment can wait."

They all looked at him. Levy asked, "Why does that sound familiar?"

The blonde grumbled. "It's from a Barbie movie."

"Oh."

Gajeel was not sure what just happened. These guys were weird.

"It's a shame for that song, though." Mira said, tone considering. "It's got some of the best vocals. It would be perfect for the tap dancing."

"Yeah." Levy looked down, frowning. Then she turned to Laxus. "Is it possible to just take the original vocals and layer it over your arrangement?"

Laxus answered with a nod. "It's possible, but it'll limit your freedom on the arrangement. Best thing you can do is record a new set of vocals for the song. That way, it'll be a perfect fit to your new backing track."

"Aw, bummer." the woman sighed. "We can't do tha-"

"No, we can." They all turned to see Cana looking at them, a conspiratory smile on her face. "Say… the rule is no professional artists or dancers in the performance, right?"

"Right." Gray answered, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

"Well, they didn't say anything about having professionals on your dance mix." the brunette said, winking at them. "So there's nothing wrong if you guys will be dancing a stripped-down never-before-heard version of _'Tightrope'_ covered by Cana Alberona."

Erza and Levy beamed sunnily at Laxus. Mira grabbed the brunette's hands and asked a loud _'You'd do that for us, Cana?!'_ , while Gray and Lucy shook their heads in amusement.

Meanwhile, Gajeel ran his hand through his hair. "You guys are pullin' all the stops, huh."

Cana laughed at him before smirking confidently. "Just because I'm not in the band, doesn't mean I'm not _in_ the band."

It was Gray's turn to ask, "Now where have I heard that before?"

Gajeel surprised himself by actually answering, "It's from School of Rock."

As they all nodded at that, he thought he wouldn't mind if he got to work with these people a bit longer.

.

* * *

.

During the following week, energies just ran high in the Guild. Schedules were re-arranged, there were rehearsals every night and brainstorming sessions every breaktime.

Now that they were all dancing on their own styles, no one was holding back and every so often they come up with suggestions for Erza, Gray and Levy's choreography. Lisanna and Laki can do this contemporary stunt, Wendy was actually really flexible and knew a couple of tricks herself, Natsu had Romeo with him to do some amazing combos with, Levy, Jet and Droy can switch styles seamlessly, and _holy hell_ , nobody quite understood how Bisca and Mira were managing those turns and how Alzack can assist them with their lifts.

If at first they thought they'd be having difficulties gluing the different styles together, they were totally proven wrong because everyone knew their limits and moves better this time, and were quick to think of what they can do for a smooth transition.

At the same time, everyone was eager to go beyond their comfort zones for the chorus parts, which most of the time involved everyone dancing to the steps, and therefore only one style.

Elfman always helped in taping the rehearsals so they can replay their progress and nitpick at certain parts until perfection.

Meanwhile, Lucy, Evergreen, Freed and Bixlow were cooking up something in that lab of theirs. Nobody dared ask, but they were all promised that it would be great.

As the routine was coming along nicely, so were the technical parts. There were always adjustments to the mix that Laxus was working on, but this time he had Gajeel for input on the arrangement. Laxus, even though he was always the authority on this department, seemed to treat Gajeel like a second set of ears. One time, he even asked the guitarist to man some of the controls as they tried to add effects to the songs.

Gajeel also got a crash course on the launchpad and other equipment from the man because Laxus thought they'd work better together if they had more common ground. It was the most educational experience he'd had in years.

He busied himself with that, and also with being the accompaniment as Levy, Jet and Droy came up with their tap routine. They haven't finalized the choreography and the full concept yet so instead of recording, Gajeel played the guitar for them as they danced. He thought it would be an exhausting deal, playing over and over while they switched up their steps - but as he worked with them, it felt more and more like collaboration, not just mere support. Sometimes Levy requested an adjustment on some part, and sometimes Gajeel added his own spin on things, pitching in his idea. More often than not, they went with it, telling him that it was a great one.

He didn't want to brag about it, but he actually didn't think that they were just being kind or polite.

For the first time in a long time, he actually believed in himself again.

.

* * *

.

It was on his fifth day with them that the whole thing actually started coming together, and it was time to finish the mix.

Laxus was configuring equipment left and right while Cana was warming up on her vocals.

It was… interesting to watch.

 _"Ra-ra-ra-ah-ah. Ga-ga-ohh-la-la. Ca. Cah! Cah! Ca-na-al-be-ro-na. Albe-rrrrrrrrrrroh-na. Cana-alberona-is-an-actual-queen-she-is-a-goddess-she-is-perfection-bow-down-all-of-you-peasants-you-are-not-worthy."_

 _"Shut up, Cana."_

 _"You shut up, Laxus. Lah. Lah. Laxusssssss. Drrrrrrrrrrrrrreh. Yarrrrrrrrr. Feel the rrrrrrrolling arrrrr. Laxus. Drrrrreyarrrrrrr. Has a nice assssss-"_

 _"Shut up, Cana."_

 _"Well, it's been in my face for like 10 minutes now. What is so interesting it's worth sticking your head in the floor for?"_

 _"I just can't get this goddamn cable from under this goddamn closet!"_

 _"That's 'cause you have giant arms! Here, I'll do it. Outta my way."_

That was why Gajeel didn't notice when Levy came up to stand beside him. "Nervous?"

He glanced at her before clearing his throat, his grip on his guitar tightening. "It's my first recording session with a pro."

"Don't worry too much." the woman assured him, patting his arm comfortingly. "We've got this!"

He breathed deeply. "Really?"

That was when Cana and Laxus finally got the goddamn cable from under the goddamn closet. Laxus turned towards them. "Hey. Rhythm, let's plug that guitar in. Percussion, make sure your tap board's good."

Levy gave Gajeel another bright smile. "Really. Believe me."

"Alberona, you need another rundown?" he heard Laxus ask, but it sounded distant as he just stared after Levy taking her place in the tap board and trying some experimental steps, studying the sounds.

Cana answered, just as faintly to Gajeel's ears - "Nah, I'm good. I always watch these guys practice."

"Oi, Redfox." Laxus called again. "Don't get cold feet now. Everyone's lookin' forward to you doin' your thing."

Mutely, Gajeel nodded and stepped forward, on autopilot as he plugged his guitar to the amplifier and made sure it sounded right.

Maybe that was it. He looked around, and besides Cana, Levy and Laxus, some others were also sitting nearby. Juvia was watching them with her excited hopeful smile, Erza watched with a proud look on her face, Bixlow was curled up beside Evergreen on the couch, the brunette holding up a video camera to record the session. They were looking forward to this. To him. It was easier to believe in yourself when others did, too.

As he held down a G chord and gave his electric guitar an experimental strum, he made up his mind. He wasn't the _'give-in-to-pressure'_ guy, but damn he's not letting them down.

Gajeel held his head high, nodded towards their DJ and said, "I'm ready."

.

* * *

.

The rooftop was empty save for Gray, leaning against the railings and looking at the late afternoon sky in silence. The recording session had gone on for a couple of hours before they decided to call it a day. Per Erza's request, Gray had left them while they were wrapping up to check up on the lights on the rooftop. They planned to hold rehearsals there tonight.

He thought they'd all come up there shortly anyway, so instead of going back downstairs, he just decided to stay there, enjoying a rare moment alone.

It didn't last too long, because he heard the door open behind him, followed by a familiar, gentle voice calling his name. "Gray?"

"Hey." he greeted back, looking over his shoulder at Juvia, who walked towards him in that careful but graceful way of hers. "You guys done?"

The woman nodded, settling herself beside him and looking up at the sky tinged in orange and magenta. "Laxus-san said that Gajeel-kun and the others did a good job. They just have to edit a little."

"That's good. We'll finally finish the mix." Gray couldn't help but smile.

Everyone was new at this thing they were trying to do, but everything was going surprisingly well. He still couldn't believe they'd be able to progress so much in such a small amount of time.

He looked at Juvia and paused for a moment to take the sight of her in, her face and hair all tinged with the colors of the sunset, making her look so warm. After this, he finally asked, "What're you doin' here?"

Juvia let out a tiny, hesitant shrug. "Juvia wanted to talk to Gray."

"She does?" he asked, tone teasing, but his smile faded when he saw how serious she was.

She looked right back at him with piercing eyes as she said, "She does."

"Alright. What is it?" he asked again, picking up on the hints easily. He turned to face her, to reassure her that she had his full attention.

"Juvia wants to dance." she started with that, and he could tell she was trying to stay determined.

He blinked. "Dance? What, like practice? Now?"

The woman shook her head. "No, Juvia wants to dance with Gray-"

"Okay, we can do that, but the others will come 'round soon, so-"

"-and everyone." she finished.

He stopped, just looking at her.

"See, when… when Juvia found out that… that everyone will be dancing… um, different styles…" she fidgeted, but he knew she wasn't nervous. She was just struggling to put her thoughts into words. "Levy-san said they considered Juvia when they were looking for new dancers, but Gray said that they shouldn't bother Juvia and-… No, that's not right. Uh… Juvia is glad that Gray thinks of Juvia!"

He nodded tentatively. "Um… okay…"

"Juvia would have been really happy and honored if the others invited Juvia to dance with them. Juvia would be happy to help, because everyone helped Juvia a lot-"

He smiled. There she was again, worrying about them, wanting so badly to help. That was her. "I know, but you don't have to worry anymore. We already found Romeo and Wendy to fill in, we're gonna be fine-"

"Juvia knows that." she looked at him. "And Juvia… knows that there's not much help she can do. The Guild… Gray and Erza-san and Levy-san and everyone… Everyone is so talented and they all help out and that's how the Guild gets through everything, right? Together?"

Gray stared. She lost him there. He lost track of where this was going anymore. Does she want to leave? Didn't she say she wanted to dance?

"And… and it might be selfish of Juvia, but… maybe… Juvia wants to be part of that."

Oh.

Okay, Gray thought. God, why didn't he catch up sooner?

"Juvia might not be good enough, but Juvia will do her best!" she insisted, looking down now, trying to hold her ground. "It's just that… dancing is what Juvia can do best, and Juvia wants to help the others as best as she can-… The Guild is-… The Guild is important to Juvia too! B-But Juvia doesn't want to hold everyone back either, so… so it's okay if Gray says 'no', Juvia just wanted to try asking-"

"Hey. Hey, look at me." he cut her off because her voice was starting to crack, and he just knew this was going to end up in tears anytime soon. He didn't want that. When she did, he held her look seriously. "Juvia. Look, I'm sorry-"

When she sniffed, Gray groaned because holy shit, he should _not_ have started with that. He quickly shook his head.

"-no no no, it's not like that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for deciding for you. That was- I did not think that through, it was stupid _and selfish_. Of me."

She looked at him in confusion.

"When they thought of asking you, I said that we shouldn't, because I was worried that you'll be distracted from your auditions, you've been working so hard for that-… and also because I thought you'd say 'no' anyway, 'cause we'll be performing in front of a really large crowd. I decided for you, okay? I decided that you couldn't do it. That was wrong. For my part, I honestly thought that I was looking out for you. That doesn't mean I did it right. I'm sorry."

She looked, above anything else, shaken by his honesty. "I-It's okay...?"

"I shouldn't have done that. I should've asked you. 'Cause I have no right to decide for you if you wanna face your fears-" Gray paused abruptly, then closed his eyes and cursed, frustrated. "Shit. I actually did that, right? Argh. I feel like shit about this. How could I do that. Stupid, stupid-"

"Gray..." she called out, this time raising a hand to cup his cheek. "It's okay-"

He groaned miserably. "It's not okay! And someone should have called me out! How can you ask me so nicely? You should be angry at me-"

"You didn't mean it." was all she said, this time her voice firm. "Besides, Gray is already calling himself out. And he should stop."

"He should?" he asked, hardly believing her. How was she so calm about this?

"He should." Juvia nodded.

"I'm really sorry." he repeated. She was about to reassure him again, but he beat her to it. "I tend to underestimate how badass you are."

She just shrugged that off, and let out a small smile before wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. Gray let out a low chuckle as he leaned down and pulled her flush against him, deepening the kiss.

He didn't pull away when the kiss ended, choosing to lean his forehead against hers. She giggled as he dropped another short kiss on the tip of her nose.

Then he said, "Also, please explain how in the world you thought you're not good enough to dance with us? I mean, I lost track of how many times I've told you that you're a great dancer - hell, Lisanna wanted to throw her shoes at you. I'm sure they'll be real excited to have you on the team."

"So… that's a yes?" Juvia asked, hopeful.

"Of course it is. Everyone loves you. More than they love me, even." he rolled his eyes at that.

She smiled. "Juvia loves everyone too."

"No special exceptions?" he asked, squinting.

"Hm… Juvia is thinking about it…" she made a show of considering hard. "Ah! Maybe Juvia loves Cana-san and Lucy-san the most."

He snorted. "Oh. Alright. That's how it is?"

"There's another one…"

"Yeah, who?" he teased.

"Levy-san is very kind and nice. Natsu-san, too."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You're killing me here, you know that?"

She nodded, grinning mischievously.

He sighed in resignation. "You're lucky you're cute."

.

* * *

.

It was early evening when Freed arrived home from work that day. There were no people practicing on the dance floor. Max and Warren were only starting to prepare dinner when he passed by the kitchen, and they told him that everyone decided to use the rooftop for the day.

When he reached the sixth floor, he found Laxus asleep on the couch. The surrounding area was a mess of recording equipment, machines, gadgets and cables. The coffee table had sketches, music sheets, scratch papers and various other notes all haphazardly piled together and held down using a magazine as paperweight. Pencils and other writing and drawing materials were also scattered with the papers.

He heard some noises from the rooftop. That must be the others rehearsing.

He was just taking his coat off when he noted something strange with the sounds.

Above the faint sounds of people talking and cheering wasn't the usual loud, rhythmic boom of the dance remix that they were going to perform. It was a softer, more peaceful sound…

He entered Laxus' studio and dropped his bag and coat in the first empty chair he saw, then climbed the last set of staircase and opened the door to the rooftop slowly.

They weren't practicing, that much was clear. Instead, they seemed to have gathered into a huddle, all sitting on the floor together.

Gajeel was playing an acoustic guitar, strumming a familiar-sounding intro. Perched beside him were Levy and Mira, smiles soft as they watched him play silently. When the intro ended, he looked up at the two women and nodded.

Mira's singing voice was both sweet and gentle as she started singing, the song almost sounding like a smooth lullaby.

 _"Lift your head… Baby, don't be scared…  
of the things that could go wrong along the way."_

Freed leaned against the doorway, staying to watch quietly. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. The sky was already dark; the others were sitting around the trio, relaxed, just enjoying the show. The only thing they were missing was a campfire.

Levy sang the next line, her voice livelier, but still as sweet.

 _"You'll get by with a smile…  
You can't win on everything but you can try."_

The two exchanged a look between them, then sang the refrain together. They weren't professional singers, but the song was simple and easy enough for a simple get-together, and they carried the tune well.

 _"Baby, you don't have to worry 'cause there ain't no need to hurry..."_

Among the ones watching them were Laki, Juvia and Lisanna who were sitting together with their arms linked. The girls were swaying slightly to the song. Across them, Erza was also sitting cross-legged on the floor. Lucy sat beside the red-head, her head tucked lazily on Erza's shoulder, while Natsu was lying flat on the floor with his head on his girlfriend's lap.

 _"No one ever said that there's an easy way."_

Jet and Droy were also sitting with the group, while Gray stood leaning against the railings nearby. Cana and Wendy were beside him, the brunette's arms draped around the teenager's shoulders as they both softly sang along.

 _"When they're closing all their doors and they don't want you anymore...  
This sounds funny but I'll say it anyway..."_

They somehow got ahold of a wooden beatbox - maybe it was from the storage. Romeo was sitting on it, and after a quick signal from Gajeel, he started moving, his hands tapping the instrument for beats to accompany the acoustic guitar.

 _"Boy, I'll stay through the bad times,  
even if I have to fetch you everyday..."_

Bixlow was there in the crowd, as well. As always, he was holding up something to capture the moment. From the sparkly decorations on the phone case, Freed could only assume it was Evergreen's phone. The guy noticed Freed standing by the doorway and waved slightly, gesturing for him to join them. Freed just waved back and shrugged, preferring to stay in his current position. He wanted to watch them from afar.

 _"We'll get by with a smile...  
You can never be too happy in this life."_

Meanwhile, Evergreen was content to watch, sitting between Elfman's legs, warm with the man's arms wrapped around her. Like the others, they seemed to be swaying slightly to the music. It was a rare sight to see, the two being affectionate like this.

 _"In a world where everybody hates a happy-ending story...  
It's a wonder love can make the world go 'round."_

And in speaking of couples, Alzack and Bisca were there, too. Sitting closely together, their fingers twined. Bisca leaned sideways a bit and dropped a short kiss on her fiancee's cheek, and in turn Alzack smiled sweetly at her, pressing their heads together.

 _"But don't let it bring you down, and turn your face into a frown..."_

Levy reached out slightly, leaning forward and giving Gajeel a soft poke on his cheek. The guitarist, who was focused on his playing and frowning down in concentration, looked up at her. She gestured towards her own face, grinning cheerfully.

Gajeel got her message, something like _'relax and listen to the song a bit, will you?'_ and let himself smile softly as he played.

 _"You'll get along with a little prayer and a song, oh..."_

As Mira and Levy sang the bridge, which was mostly vocalizing sounds, Cana and Lucy decided to join. It didn't take long for Erza and Natsu to sing with them as well.

 _"Too doo doo… Too doo doo doo… ohhhh…"_

Mira looked at the others, singing the next line. _"Let me hear you sing it…"_

At this, Lisanna, Juvia and Laki also sang along. The others followed soon enough, their voices not the best combination in the world, but carrying the humming melody of the bridge well, giving the song this unique sense of unity.

 _"Too doo doo… Too doo doo doo… ohhhh…"_

Freed hummed under his breath, and sighed as he took in the sight again. Everyone was always busy moving restlessly and practicing high-energy numbers. Seeing them all like this, just relaxing, having a peaceful time while singing a simple song together, was simply rare to see.

It would never have occurred to him that it would only take the addition of a capable guitar player, but there it was. Gajeel looked more than a little rough on the edges, but he's got a real gentle streak. Evident whenever he looked at Juvia, and lately when he smiles at Levy. He might come from a different place, but he felt just like them. Freed had a feeling that, like Juvia, the guitarist was here to stay.

Well, they always said they needed another musician in the house. Now they're getting that.

He was cut off from his musings when he heard a distant crash and a muffled voice from downstairs. Freed frowned and stepped back, closing the door behind him quietly before going back to Laxus' studio.

The DJ was standing there, awake and grumpy, setting a fallen chair upright.

"Hey." Freed greeted, raising an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Just woke up. Tripped over a cable and fell on the chair." Laxus grumbled, picking up Freed's fallen sketchpad and bag from the floor. "Anything fragile in this bag?"

Freed chuckled, walking forward and taking his things from the other man. "Don't worry 'bout it. You look tired." He dropped his sketchpad on the table along with the other sketches and papers, and then walked towards the bedroom to leave his bag there.

He heard Laxus' distant answer. "Was mixing and recording all day. And I still have a shift later."

"You're on night shift? You should get some more sleep." he called back.

"Hm, yeah - that's what I'm doin'." came the faint reply.

Freed changed into more comfortable clothes, just a loose, oversized sweater and cotton pants. When he returned from the bedroom, he saw that Laxus was lying on the couch again, staring at the ceiling blankly.

"You should move to the bed." he suggested softly. "I can wake you up later."

Laxus just shook his head. "Nah, too tired to get up again."

Freed accepted the answer easily and settled on the floor by the couch, close to Laxus. The coffee table was low enough that he would still be comfortable working from his current position.

As he started gathering his hair up on the back of his head to tie it up, he felt Laxus' lips press softly against the back of his neck, and then on the exposed skin of his right shoulder. Freed chuckled, and only turned slightly to catch the next kiss with his own lips.

Laxus didn't say anything after that, simply shifting to lie on his side so he can watch his boyfriend work.

Freed finished tying his hair up and also shifted so he can face the blonde. "How did the recording go?" he asked, resting against the couch. He raised a hand to run his fingers through the other man's hair.

Laxus sighed against the touch, closing his eyes. "Just have to adjust some parts, put it into the mix, let 'em dance to it first to see if we missed anything. It sounds awesome. This new guy's real good, Levy's routine is genius, and Cana is… well, her voice is god-tier, so. Yeah."

"So... it's good." Freed said in summary.

The blonde nodded. "S'great. They'll win this thing." Then he blinked in question. "Where are they, anyway? Practicin'?"

"Actually, they're doing the opposite." the designer answered. "They're upstairs, sitting together and… singing."

"They're slacking off." Laxus said, frowning deeply.

"Hey, now." Freed laughed, smoothing out the DJ's furrowed brows. "Don't be a killjoy. Let them take a break. Besides, they look really happy. Peaceful. I think you should join them."

"Nah, let 'em have it." Laxus said with a shrug. "I'm not a singin' person."

"Um. You sing Lady Gaga in the shower." the other man pointed out, snorting.

Laxus glared. "How d'you know?"

Freed raised an eyebrow. Maybe Laxus really was tired. "Because I was in the shower with you?"

Laxus gave up. "In my defense, it's a real earworm. And it's in the goddamn mix so that means I'm stuck listenin' to it for days. Why the hell did Mira choose that song anyway?"

"Get over it. It sounds fantastic." Freed rolled his eyes.

The blonde didn't seem pleased about it, but he agreed anyway. "It does."

Laxus looked up at the ceiling again, staying silent. Freed, not yet in the mood for work, just leaned against his companion, studying his thoughtful face. After a while of silence, he spoke up again. "Laxus?"

The taller man stayed silent for a while longer. Freed waited patiently, and to Laxus, that meant that his companion was about to ask something important. Laxus sat up then, looking back into blue eyes.

Freed took this as consent. In a gentle voice, he said, "I saw how you looked at the others when they were practicing, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Do you… wish you can dance with them?"

The answer came fast: "Of course I do."

The green-haired man fell silent, looking down and nodding. He laid a hand on Laxus's right knee, rubbing it comfortingly. It was the knee that got injured a few years back - it was why Laxus had stopped dancing, and just focused on working on the music instead. "Sorry."

"Hey, I'm not upset." Laxus said in a quiet voice as he looked at Freed, who was smiling sadly. "I mean, I miss dancing, but I like what I do now."

"I was just worried that you're tiring yourself out too much, and to add to that, you might be feeling down because you can't dance with the others for something this big."

Laxus stared. He didn't expect Freed to pick up on the nostalgic feelings he was getting lately as he watched the others dancing and doing their best, although he really should have. Freed was sensitive like that. He picked up on Laxus's thoughts almost effortlessly.

The blonde reached down to tuck long green bangs behind the other man's ear. When Freed looked up at him again, he said, "Y'know, you're forgetting that I'm the only DJ we've got. Still makes me part of the team, yeah?"

Freed blinked, then smiled up at his boyfriend. "Of course."

"It's still a pretty damn important job. Makin' the best mix I can to help 'em win this thing."

At that, Freed chuckled, his hesitation disappearing. "You're right. Sorry, I worry too much. I don't even know why I'm feeling more nervous than you or the others. I'm not even going up on stage to dance, or making the mix that will be heard by everyone-"

"Nah, you wouldn't be you if you worried less." Laxus shrugged, smirking. He took Freed's hand resting on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But seriously it'll be okay. I know there's a lot at stake, but I also know those losers want this now more than ever. They've got nerve, just believe in 'em. They'll win."

"You know..." Freed sent the man a fond, wistful look. "You sounded a bit like your grandfather for a while there."

Laxus gave Freed's hand a slight tug, prompting the other man to join him up on the couch. Freed ended up sitting on Laxus's lap, casually resting his arms on the blonde's shoulders. "M'just looking after 'em. Just like gramps did. And like he told me to do."

Freed nodded quietly. "Well, you're doing good."

"You think it's not like me, don't you?"

"Wrong. I think it's exactly like you." Freed said, and it caught him off guard when his companion suddenly leaned forward and embraced him tightly. "Laxus, are you okay?"

"Yeah. But m'tired. Within the past 24 hours, I only had like 4 hours of sleep. So. Give me this one." Laxus mumbled against Freed's shoulder. Freed only smiled in understanding, returning the embrace gently. Then Laxus said, "Y'smell like hairspray."

The green-haired man laughed. "I work in the dressing room, what do you expect?"

"I hate hairspray." Laxus complained, but didn't move.

"Why are you still holding me, then?"

The blonde let out a small yawn before simply answering, "Because I love you."

They've been committed to each other for years now and Freed still gets caught off guard whenever Laxus says those three words.

He must have unconsciously hugged Laxus back tighter because then he heard the blonde say, "Okay, you're kinda tryin' to kill me right now."

Freed laughed, relaxing his hug but snuggling closer. "I love you too, Laxus."

"What's got into you?"

"Hey, you said it first!"

"Eh. Whatever." then after a pause, Laxus asked, "So what're they singin' upstairs?"

"An old song." Freed savored the feeling of the warm arms around him as they both settled on an odd but comfortable position on the couch. "I can't recall the title. Wait."

After an awkward pause, he just gave up and softly sang what he remembered.

 _"In a world where everybody hates a happy-ending story..."_

He stopped abruptly. "Um…"

To his surprise, Laxus lazily provided the next line. _"It's a wonder love can make the world go 'round."_

Freed pulled away slightly, finally recalling the rest of the lyrics. He cupped Laxus' confused face in his hands as he continued, _"But don't let it bring you down and turn your face into a frown..."_

Laxus didn't bother stopping himself from letting out a bemused smile as Freed pinched his cheeks playfully while singing.

 _"You'll get along with a little prayer and a song."_

The blonde said, "This is very cheesy." but his companion didn't stop.

 _"Lift your head, baby, don't be scared…  
of the things that could go wrong along the way."_

"I'm serious. Very cheesy." Laxus repeated, chuckling.

Freed pouted for a beat before he went through with his last line.

 _"You'll get by with a smile…  
Now it's time to kiss away those tears goodbye."_

Laxus closed his eyes, and Freed ended the song with a soft kiss just above his lightning-shaped scar.

.

.

When Bixlow and Evergreen came back to announce that dinner was ready, they found the two fast asleep together on the couch.

Bixlow clicked his tongue. "Seriously, it's like they don't have a bed."

Evergreen just narrowed and slapped the guy's arm half-heartedly. "Shut up and take a picture."

.

.

end of ch. 15

.

* * *

 **A/N:** See? Gajevy, Stingue, Chendy, Fraxus, and my favorite song? SO SELF-INDULGENT.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- So yeah _"With a Smile"_ is kind of a classic, I listened to it growing up. My personal favorite is the version by _Southborder_. But how I wrote it being sung here is inspired by _Aiza Seguerra_ 's cover.  
\- I recently went to hang out with some of my classmates from high school and two of them just happened to come from a gig. They had a guitar and a beatbox with them. And I was there too so we really didn't have any reason _not_ to have an impromptu jam session. This song is practically one of our staples so we did it first.

Maybe I should dedicate this chapter to my Filipino readers. _Yo mga 'tol._ _Hi!_

 **Next Chapter: Finale!**  
 _"Alright, everyone in the van, now! Let's get this thing on the road."  
_


	16. We Are Giants

**A/N:** Holy crap, it's the big finish.

Okay, quick notes before I let y'all go and read the thing:  
\- Who ELSE should I put as judges, really?  
\- I am NOT good with group names.

Enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 16:**  
 _("_ _Feels like you're standing there so small...  
Just the space between the stars.  
Don't be afraid to risk it all, 'cause we are, we are -_ _")  
_ **We Are Giants  
** \- Lindsey Stirling feat. Dia Frampton

.

"Oi, kid. S'almost closing time." Gajeel called out, hastily knocking on the backroom door. He left Rogue in there sorting some new stocks, and the teen hasn't left the room since.

Rogue called back, "Just finishing up, Gajeel-san."

"Hurry it up, then."

The man did his routine rounds of the shop, making sure everything was in order, tidying up some bits and pieces, ensuring the display stands and the cash register were all locked up properly.

When he finished, he saw that Rogue was also packing up. "You finished everything? That was a lot more than the usual stuff we get."

Rogue nodded.

"Good job, kid. I'll tell boss to give you some extra on your next pay."

This time Rogue let out a small smile. "There's really no need... I'm okay with my usual pay."

"Eh, he's only got two of us now putting up with his lame shop. He really should give a raise."

Rogue shrugged. As expected, he was hesitant at the prospect of asking for more money, but he knew he couldn't stop his senior employee if he tried anyway.

They closed up shop together, Gajeel keeping the keys secure in his bag. They close up early during weekdays, but it was early Friday night so there were already a lot of people up and about.

As they walked down the sidewalk side by side, Gajeel noticed something different with his companion.

Ah. There it was.

He asked, "Your boyfriend didn't come pick you up today?" - because for the past few weeks, that's been the routine between the boys and Gajeel had gotten used to it himself.

Rogue answered, "He's injured, so I just told him to wait for me at the bus stop."

Gajeel blinked. "What the hell happened?"

"He fell while skateboarding with his friends last night." Rogue explained, but didn't sound too upset. "It's not that bad. His arm's in a sling but he says it'll heal in a few days. Then he can break it again."

At this, the man couldn't help but snigger. "You're not worried at all, huh."

The boy shrugged again. "He breaks something every week. I just gave up."

"Hey, you told me you can watch over the shop tomorrow while I'm out. You still up for that?"

"Of course. Sting's injured, not bed-ridden." then after a beat, Rogue rolled his eyes. "Yet."

They had both stopped by an intersection. Gajeel was headed for the other direction, while Rogue was supposed to cross the road... where Sting, patched up and being as hyper as always, was already jumping and waving at them happily with his uninjured arm.

"I'm no doctor, but I think he should stop jumping like that." Gajeel commented dryly.

Rogue sighed before he looked up at his senior employee. "I'll be at the shop early tomorrow then."

Gajeel nodded, but his brows were furrowed. "You sure you can handle it alone? 'Till late?"

"Don't worry about it." Rogue smiled. "Good luck with the contest tomorrow, Gajeel-san. Juvia-san, too."

"You can tell 'er that yerself, she said she'll drop by." the man grinned, then finally waved his young companion off. The stoplight was red now. "Go ahead, before your boyfriend breaks his other arm."

He watched as Rogue squeezed in the crowd of people crossing the road. Sting welcomed him with a one-armed hug and a quick stolen kiss, then Rogue began scolding the blonde... probably for moving around too much while in recovery.

The two bickered as they walked towards the bus stop, and Gajeel went on his way home.

.

* * *

.

When Levy came to the rooftop with her laptop in her arms, about half of the dance crew were still practicing.

On one side was Max assisting Bisca and Alzack on a pretty complicated lift, Warren giving Wendy some tips for the hip-hop parts, and Natsu and Erza helping Romeo out for a break-dance move. Some of the others were sitting around and taking a break.

Gray and Juvia, for one, were looking especially exhausted. Gray was lying on the floor on his back while Juvia sat beside him, both of them still slightly catching their breath.

"Um, you two okay?" Levy asked.

Gray gave her a thumbs-up and Juvia smiled. "Just practiced the whole routine, Levy-san."

"Oh, wow." the tapper laughed. "Nailed it down yet?"

"I think so." Gray grunted. "Why do we have to solo, man?"

Levy shrugged back. "You told Erza it's a great idea."

"I didn't know I'll be the one dancing it." the raven-head complained, then looked at his girlfriend. "Juvia's got it down pat, though."

Juvia shook her head. "It's a really long and difficult routine. It's Juvia's first time."

"She's on her first time and still looks better than me. Didn't realize my contemporary was _that_ rusty until Erza pulled out the damn choreo." Gray snorted, before looking at Levy. "How 'bout you, got your part ready?"

"Yep! But it won't hurt to practice some more." Levy said. "Can't screw up tomorrow, yeah?"

Both of them nodded. It was the night before the contest, and while everyone wanted to polish the performance even more, they knew that they shouldn't push themselves too hard. They needed to get a good night's rest.

"Anyways, you gotta get up, Gray. We're starting the call. You come along too, Juvia-chan!" Levy said, walking away from the couple and towards the others, calling for attention.

Juvia looked at Gray in question as he got up. "Call?"

"We're gonna video call the old man. You up for it?"

"Mr. Dreyar?" Juvia asked. When Gray nodded, she blushed and looked down. "J-Juvia looks like a mess! And- and Juvia hasn't been introduced-"

"That's kind of the point of you joining us, so we can introduce you?" Gray raised an eyebrow. When she started fussing over her hair, he said, "C'mon, we all look like crap, we've been dancing almost all day."

The others had already stopped practicing and were mostly huddled together behind Levy and her laptop as she started up the video call.

Juvia stayed close beside Gray as they joined the huddle, just in time to see several people join the video conference.

 _"There we go!"_ came from Lucy. She and Cana joined from Cana's flat uptown. They were staying there for the night after a dinner with some of the old _'Glitter'_ cast and staff. Gildarts and Loke were both in the back just lounging in the couch.

 _"Hey, guys."_ Mest greeted. He was in his office. Behind him, they could see a bespectacled man sitting on a separate desk and busy working on some papers. Juvia remembered him as Mest's partner Lahar, he dropped by on the night of the party at Era shortly to give them his regards.

 _"This thing on?"_ was from Laxus, who decided he'll just join the call from the laptop in his studio. Laxus and Mira were sitting in front of the laptop, while in the background, Bixlow and Freed were still tinkering with something in the table. _"Huh. Looks crowded up there-"_

He was cut off when they heard a loud bang from behind them, and the others watched as Laxus and Mira turned around to see Bixlow and Freed busy trying to put off some flames from whatever they were working on.

 _"What happened?!"_ Mira asked.

 _"Whoo boy, it went boom!"_ Bixlow answered cheerfully, clapping his hands.

 _"What are you making, exactly?"_ Cana asked. Behind her and Lucy, Gildarts and Loke had both moved closer, also peering curiously.

 _"Your outfits for tomorrow."_ Freed said, trying to fan off the smoke from their experiment. _"I'm so sorry about your shirt, Jet - good thing we have a spare."_

"WHAT?!" came from everyone in the rooftop.

"Is it… safe?" Levy asked.

Bixlow shrugged. _"Well, other than the small explosion, it's pretty safe."_

 _"It's an explosion."_ Laxus pointed out.

"That's kinda hardcore, but I ain't wearing anythin' that explodes, man." came from Natsu, echoing the thoughts of his friends.

 _"Don't worry, we've got this."_ Freed assured them. _"It won't explode anymore, I promise."_

 _"Maybe just electrocute you a bit."_ Bixlow added not-so-helpfully.

The response were variations of _"Nope!"_ and _"No way!"_ and _"Not getting anywhere near that!"_

Then another panel popped up in the screen. _"Live, from the second floor!"_ came Lisanna's cheerful voice as she joined via her phone. Behind her, Evergreen and Elfman were busy making dinner, but took a moment to wave at the others.

As for the rest of them, they were all crowded together in one window, waiting.

Finally, the last window appeared, and there was a very fatherly-looking old man sitting comfortably on a couch, smiling at them. Juvia noted the family resemblance between the man and Laxus: spiky hair, sharp features, the eyebrows… But the old man had a friendlier, gentler expression as well.

She watched as the others happily greeted the man differently: ranging from very casual greetings of _"Hey, gramps!"_ and _"What's up, old man?"_ to more formal and polite ones like _"Good evening, Mr. Dreyar."_ and _"It's nice to see you, sir!"_

But for all the difference in their greetings, they all had one thing in common: they were genuinely very happy to see the man.

The reply was a full, happy laugh, and Makarov seemed to study his screen closer before speaking. _"Well, looks like everyone turned up, hm?"_

"Yep!" Natsu replied. "We're all here. Complete set."

 _"Huh. It's good to see you're all healthy."_ Makarov nodded, pleased with what he saw of his 'children'. _"Well, what do we have here-… Is that Elfman? Cooking?"_

 _"Don't worry, Ever will make sure Elf-nii-chan makes something edible."_ Lisanna laughed.

 _"I've got this, sir."_ Evergreen assured the man, her smile amused, meanwhile Elfman just stammered out a flustered _"R-Real men can cook!"_

 _"Just don't burn down the house."_ the old man sighed. _"And Mest, you're still at work?"_

Mest chuckled sheepishly. _"W-Well, it's a nightclub, so…"_

 _"Ah, yes I always forget! Cana-chan and Lucy-chan, you both look dressed up… Oh. Hello, Gildarts! Been a while, old friend!"_

Juvia felt a bit like an outsider as the man proceeded to address them individually then. She didn't expect him to do so - but it looked like it was true that he knew them all personally and had a bond with each and every one of them.

 _"Were you on a month-long night schedule again, Warren? Stay healthy, alright?"_

 _"Jet, Droy, sale season is about to start, good luck on your jobs..."_

 _"Levy-chan, I read the article you wrote for that one blog. It was wonderful, dear-"_

 _"I got those vouchers you sent me, Max, thanks-"_

 _"Laki-chan, you grew your hair out again, eh? Lisanna-chan, too... Is school going well?"_

 _"Romeo! You shot up! What, are you taller than your dad now? And is that little Wendy-chan? Well, I'll be..."_

 _"Alzack and Bisca, any dates for the wedding yet?"_

 _"I hope you're doing well, Mira-chan. These kids won't last a week without you..."_

 _"Bixlow, any new projects?"_

 _"Everything going well for you, Erza? I saw your photos with Jellal-kun in the recital, you two looked wonderful together."_

 _"Hello, Laxus - I see you're still grumpy. Slight less grumpy, though, so… Freed, thank you for keeping my grandson in check."_

 _"Natsu, I heard you're actually on your sixth month on this job? Is that a record?"_

Juvia knew now why the Guild treated each other like family so easily, why caring about each other was so natural. It was because they had someone to introduce them to how it was done: how to look out for each other, be interested in each other's lives, and provide mutual and constant support for everyone in their ups and downs.

The questions were simple, but she could feel the honest warmth and caring from the old man's inquiries and from the others' answers. _'This.'_ Juvia thought. _'This is how a family's supposed to be.'_

The woman snapped out of her reverie when she heard the man call out to Gray.

 _"I heard you lost your job? You punched a client? Isn't that more Natsu's style?"_ (This was followed by a _"Heeeyyy!"_ from Natsu.)

Gray scratched his head. "Well, it's a bit complicated-"

But the old man just shook his head and shrugged nonchalantly. _"Nah, m'sure you can find a better employer. If they won't stick out for you when you're on the right side, they're not worth workin' for, son."_

At this, Gray chuckled and nodded. "You're always right, gramps."

 _"Hmmm… and I also heard you got a special someone?"_

"Oh. Yeah. Um, right, she's right here, actually."

Juvia blinked as the others shifted so she can get a better place among their little huddle. She felt Levy pull her close as Gray rested his hands on her shoulders. "Meet Juvia."

 _"Ah! Juvia-chan!"_ Makarov smiled brightly. _"Well, what a pretty young lady, I should say-"_

And before Juvia could speak, the others have already started talking as well, not just the ones in the rooftop with her, but also the ones from the other calls.

 _"You got yerself 'nother kid, old man."_ was from Gildarts.

 _"She's a great dancer!"_ Lisanna, waving a ladle around. _"Like, super brilliant!"_

"Killer cookies!" Natsu cheered.

 _"TOO NICE FOR GRAY, REALLY."_ Cana said, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"She's totally getting into Rainfall, too!" Laki added.

 _"And we're totally keeping her. She's staying forever."_ Bixlow said, looking towards his companions - Mira, Laxus and Freed all nodded solemnly.

Mest chuckled. _"I think you guys should let her speak."_

 _"Thank you, Mest."_ Makarov said, shaking his head, amused. _"Hello, Juvia-chan. It's nice to meet you."_

Juvia blushed as he bowed slightly. "It's nice to meet you as well, Dreyar-sama!"

 _"Nah, you may call me grandpa, just like the others."_ the old man shrugged. _"I see they're all very fond of you. You should come with them the next time they visit."_

"H-Hai!"

Then Makarov asked, _"So when are you moving in?"_

That triggered another round of cheering again - with loud questions of _"Really, you're moving in?!"_ and _"Yeah, Gray, make it happen!"_

.

The call ended just before dinner was ready, but not before Makarov wished the Guild good luck on the dance battle.

 _"This is it, I know you've all worked hard for this. Get a good rest tonight and do your best tomorrow."_

As he received several nods and appreciative replies, he shook his head and clicked his tongue.

 _"Tsk tsk tsk. This old man can't hear you..."_

With that, there was a loud, dutiful chorus of **"YES, SIR!"** from his children, and the old man simply laughed heartily.

 _"That's the spirit! No holding back on anything, alright? Don't worry 'bout what they'll say or think - just give it all you've got!"_

"YES, SIR!"

.

* * *

.

Gajeel got the call late that night. He answered quickly, not wanting Juvia to wake up. She was already fast asleep in the mattress next to his.

He yawned before he answered, "Hello?"

 _"Hey, um, I'm sorry, I must've woken you up."_

He blinked. "Levy?"

 _"Yup."_

"Wusswrong?" he drawled, rubbing his eyes and looking at the wall clock. "It's 1 AM."

 _"I know... sorry. I just... I dunno, I can't sleep?"_

He managed a small huff. "Heh. What's this, pre-performance jitters?"

 _"Kinda..."_

"Never heard of a tapper gettin' cold feet."

He heard her sigh miserably. _"I know, right? It's stupid."_

"What're you worried 'bout, I know you got everythin' nailed down. I watch you guys practice. Tomorrow, you got costumes and everythin'. It'll look badass."

She was quiet for a while, and at first he thought she fell asleep. Then, she said, _"I was just listening to the mix... y'know, the one we'll use for tomorrow. It's really good. Scratch that, it's superb."_

"Yeah." - now he's just confused. "I thought that was the whole point of making a custom arrangement and workin' on that mix for days? So it'll be awesome?"

 _"It's just... I'm opening the performance. And I don't know, I was just listening to it and suddenly I thought, what if I mess up?"_

"Hold up, what if _YOU_ mess up?"

 _"Yeah-"_

"You made the arrangement with me, shorty. And you were the one who came up with the tap routine. Which is awesome, everyone says so."

 _"Still! What if I blank out and miss a beat, or what if I fail and my percussion won't sync with your rhythm and Cana's vocals? Your arrangement will go to waste, and it'll be my fault."_

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Levy."

 _"...Y-Yeah?"_

He realized that he didn't call her by her name often, and maybe she gets surprised every time he does. He shook the thoughts off quickly, like always. "You should go to sleep."

 _"But-..."_

"What?"

 _"You know, just... maybe sorry in advance if I end up messing up your great arrangement, 'cause you did it for us for free and helped us a lot and-"_

"I'm serious, go to sleep. You're being paranoid. You're not gonna mess up tomorrow. You know the routine by heart. And y'know what, that arrangement? It's a duet. And I don't mean a vocal one. You said it, I'm rhythm, and you're percussion. So if you skip a beat, just listen to the music and respond to it. That guitar, it's just me."

She was quiet again, but this time he can practically see her gathering herself up and nodding. _"Y-Yeah. It's you."_

"So... y'know, harmonize with... me?"

 _"Okay."_

"Not okay, that sounded _terrible_. Cheesy. Forget the harmonize part. But, like, the instrument version of it. Whatever. You know what I mean."

There it was - she giggled. " _I know what you mean. I can... I can just improvise. Recover, right?"_

"Yeah, 'cause if you stop, they'll know you messed up. Make it look like it's all part of the plan."

 _"Sir, yes, sir."_

"Stop that."

She laughed this time, and he didn't know why, but it sounded like victory. _"Thanks, Gajeel. I'm sorry for waking you up for this. Ugh, I feel so silly."_

"Don't mention it." he replied, then after a beat, he added: "I'm serious. Don't mention it. Your friends will have a field day, they'll think we're goin' out or something."

To his surprise, she said, _"Oh, that's not too bad."_

"What."

 _"W-What?"_

"What did you... say?"

 _"Nothing!"_ she laughed again, this time determinedly fake - _"I said nothing! Boy, I am so sleepy now! See you tomorrow, Gajeel! Good night, sweet dreams!"_

And she hung up.

Gajeel laid back down on his mattress and stared at the ceiling blankly.

 _'Holy shit, she's killing me.'_

.

* * *

.

Gajeel and Juvia opened up the record shop together that Saturday morning. Rogue arrived thirty minutes in, just as he promised.

Gajeel left Rogue with instructions and quick reminders (the discount for this brand is ending today, just give the player in the corner a good smack if it acts up, always double-check that one display stand because the lock is falling apart, etc.)…

And it was then that Sting also arrived, smiling brightly as always.

"Should you be here?" Gajeel asked, squinting at the blonde.

"I'll be good, sempai. I promise." Sting said, even making a show of crossing his heart. "It's boring at home and Rogue's alone here all day, so I'll help!"

"Just so you know, if you break something of yours in here, you're not covered by Rogue's employee health insurance."

Sting rolled his eyes and nodded. "Hai, hai..."

Meanwhile, a very confused Rogue asked, "We have employee health insurance?"

Gajeel snorted. "We don't."

"Ah."

"Did I mention this shop sucks?"

Both boys replied, "Everyday."

"Right. Here you go." Gajeel said, finally handing Rogue the store keys. "No fooling around in the backroom. I eat in that table."

Rogue blushed brightly and stammered an embarrassed _"G-G-GAJEEL-SAN I WOULD N-NEVER-"_ , while Sting just sniggered and asked, "What about the couch?"

The man only looked back, unimpressed. "Want me to break your other arm, kid?"

The 'kid' simply pouted and looked away. "Noted."

"Gajeel-kun, are we going?" Juvia chimed in. She went out for a while to grab some coffee.

"Yep. We don't wanna be late." Gajeel said, grabbing his bag. He stood by the entrance as Juvia also gathered her things.

"Sting-kun, what happened to your arm?" she asked, stopping in front of the boys, who were just starting up the cash register.

"Too much awesome." the blonde answered sheepishly.

Rogue didn't bother covering up the truth, though. "He fell while skateboarding."

"Oh... Get well soon, okay?" the woman said, patting the teen on the head.

Sting nodded cheerfully. "Roger! Good luck with the dance battle, Juvia-nee-chan!"

Rogue also smiled. "We'll be cheering on from here."

Juvia blinked. "Here?"

"We got the link for the livestream." Sting answered. "So we can watch you dance! And listen to sempai's mix!"

Juvia smiled at both boys, visibly touched. "Thank you! Juvia will do her best!"

The teens waved as Juvia and Gajeel finally left the shop, but not before sweating nervously when Gajeel narrowed his eyes at them and made the terrifying _'I'm watching you'_ gesture.

They were able to relax a few minutes later, and after looking around boredly at the empty shop, Sting took his phone out.

"Hey, a new cat came over a while ago, I think it's still around."

That got Rogue's attention. "Really?"

"Yup. It's got a moustache."

Seriously, though. Gajeel didn't have to worry about them fooling around, they were busy enough collecting cats.

.

* * *

.

"Alright, everyone in the van, now! Let's get this thing on the road." Gray called out, standing beside the van that Mest graciously lent them. He looked towards Elfman in the driver's seat, and the man just nodded. He was ready.

Evergreen, Freed and Bixlow piled inside Laxus' car, along with some equipment they would be using in the performance.

Max was the designated driver on the other car, already having Laki, Lisanna, Bisca and Alzack with him.

The rest trooped excitedly inside the van, leaving Erza and Gray for last. The two did a quick head count.

"Uh, we're missing one." Gray said.

"Did you exclude Cana and Lucy?" Erza blinked, peering at the others in the van again.

"Yeah, I know they're going later, so I didn't count 'em in."

Then they heard someone from inside the van say, "Wendy's not here yet."

"Where's Wendy?" Gray asked.

"I'm over here!" Wendy called out, lingering near the garage entrance. She had her phone pressed to her ear and she sent the two a pleading look. "Give a minute?"

Erza and Gray only exchanged a short look - maybe the girl was talking to her parents. Erza simply nodded before getting in the van, while Gray waited patiently.

Wendy returned to her call. "S-Sorry for that, Chelia-chan… Um, how did you get my number?"

 _"I asked Romeo a while ago over Facebook. I told him to give it only if it's okay with you, and he said it's fine… Is it?"_ Chelia replied, her voice sweet and cheerful from the other end of the call.

"Oh, it's fine! It's-… I don't mind!"

 _"Okay! I might be keeping you, so, um, I just wanted to wish you luck! My cousin actually asked me if I want to go watch, but I got a recording today and we couldn't reschedule… It's actually a cover of the song you were dancing to last week, y'know, Sparks? 'Cause I couldn't get it off my head ever since..."_ Chelia laughed sheepishly.

Wendy could hardly muster up a reply. "Really? I'm… excited to hear it..."

 _"I'm dedicating this cover to you and your friends, then! I love what you guys do, so… I'll make sure to catch the livestream later. Anyways, I know you guys will be fantastic, so… best of luck!"_

"Thank you, Chelia-chan… This means… a whole lot to me." Wendy said, smiling down at her feet. She thought of what else to say but as much as she was on cloud nine right now, the others were patiently waiting for her. "So… thanks. Really. I gotta go now-"

 _"Oh, sure! No probs. We're starting here too. And uh… maybe when we're not so busy anymore, we can go out together sometime? Hang out and stuff?"_

"I… I'd love that." Wendy thought it was a miracle that she was actually keeping her calm.

 _"Sweet!"_ Chelia cheered. _"Alright, go be awesome now! Bye, Wendy! Kisses!"_

Wendy bit her lip before replying. "Bye, Chelia-chan."

After that, she wasted no time to join the others and hop in the van, smile wide as she sat next to Romeo and Natsu. They were looking at her with teasing smiles, and for a second, she thought she'd pretend to be angry. But then she decided that she owed them one, so she just sheepishly smiled back, humoring the two when they both asked for high-fives.

Gray was the last one to get in the van, closing the door behind him. "Everyone's in."

From the passenger seat, Erza smiled before saying "Alright, team! Let's do this!"

The van was filled with cheers as they hit the road.

.

* * *

.

The place was a small dome-shaped arena packed full with people already enthusiastically cheering. The music was almost deafening, and the lights were erratic, flashing in random patterns as the show was about to start. There were cameras everywhere, and technical crew left and right. There was a raised platform right beside it for the event hosts.

The stage was a wide, circular one in the center of the venue, various lights and speakers surrounding it. On one side was the booth for the sounds, lights and system controls. The house DJ was busy live mixing for the audience.

On another side was a table with three chairs for the judges who needed no introduction for the people in the entertainment industry of Fiore. Ichiya Kotobuki was a big-time talent manager. He was known for his eccentric expressions and methods, but nonetheless brought countless celebrities and artists to fame. Jura Neekis was considered a mixing guru, a renowned music producer and technician specializing in rave and dance tracks and remixes. Karen Lilica was a diva of her own right, famous for a good number of modern pop hits, and also known for her explosive concerts.

The main sponsor, offering the prize money and the contract, was a famous talent studio, affiliated with several brands that were always looking for something fresh for their campaigns.

"And our team's performing _last_. So… yeah, no pressure." Laxus mumbled as he carried his laptop and made his way across the crowds with Gajeel, Bixlow and Elfman to coordinate with the technical teams for the special setup in their performance. There was not much restrictions on the sounds, lights and stage effects in the guidelines, and they've called beforehand to assure that the organizers have no problem with their custom specs.

They didn't know what the other teams had in store, but they were quite sure they packed a pretty unique enough presentation for the audience and judges.

"This thing's really big-time." Gajeel said, taking a deep breath. He was helping Elfman carry some extra mics and amps.

"I'm starting to get nervous." Elfman agreed. He wasn't even performing.

Bixlow, who had his own laptop and a bunch of cables and other gadgets, was more positive. "Don't worry guys, we got this! We've got an awesome trick up our sleeves!"

Laxus narrowed his eyes at the other man. "What, like your little lights that might kill our dancers?"

"Meh. Occupational hazard." Bixlow shrugged.

Laxus just rolled his eyes and the three of them pushed ahead towards the control station.

.

Meawhile, among the audience, Cana, Loke and Lucy had found good seats with some company. Jellal, Meredy and Ultear were there to cheer for the Guild.

Meredy was already taking pictures of the event.

"The competition looks tough." Ultear commented, eyeing some of the dance crews who were already standing by the side of the stage. Beside her, Jellal nodded but stayed determined. He had dropped by the Guild several times during the past week, and he watched some of the rehearsals. He was surprised at some of their unconventional choices and tricks, but he couldn't wait to see the routine in its polished, final state.

Lucy noticed that Loke was shifting unusually close to her. It was almost like… he was trying to hide behind her.

"Loke, you alright?" she asked, looking at him in concern.

"Yep." the man answered, but he sounded very nervous. "M-May I borrow your beanie?"

"No way. I like my beanie." Lucy pouted. She was trying to stay anonymous in the crowd, so she dressed more casually, didn't put on much makeup and wore a beanie over her twin braids. "Besides, pink would clash against your hair."

Loke, who was dressed down like her, was wearing dark sunglasses. It usually made him look more dignified, but this time he was downright scared. "Hide me, then? PLEASE?"

"What's up with you?" Cana raised an eyebrow at him. She had her hair on a messy bun on top of her head and was wearing thick black-framed glasses. "You look freaked out."

The three of them didn't have any form of security with them, so they tried to appear as casual as possible. Natsu joked that the three of them were not trying hard enough.

Loke groaned as he answered the question. "I didn't know Karen was a judge…"

At this, the brunette laughed out loud while the blonde rolled her eyes. "Relax, it's not she'll be on the lookout for you in the audience. She's a judge so she has to keep her eyes on the dancers."

Cana sniggered. "C'mon, just let him hide. He looks hilarious."

Lucy sighed before deciding to humor the man. "Fine, I'll protect you from the horror that is your terrifying ex."

She laughed when Loke hugged her and exclaimed, "Lucy, you're my hero!"

.

"Is that everyone?" Freed asked as he watched Evergreen finish the last of the make up on Natsu. She had painted flames in the side of Natsu's face down to his neck.

"Yep, this is the last one." Evergreen answered. Natsu, being Natsu, tried to blow sideways on his newly-painted face experimentally. "No need to blow on it, it won't come off easily."

"So you're tellin' us that this thing will glow later." Natsu said.

"Yup. If Bixlow does his job right." the woman said. She looked at the others, who were already warming up, then nodded at Freed.

Freed breathed deeply. That was it for costume and makeup. They saw the weird looks from the other teams. After all, they didn't look exactly dressed for the gritty street dancing that seemed to be the running theme this evening.

They were wearing close to what they had on their entry video. Working clothes, but with scarves, jackets and cardigans on top, mostly to hide some tricks up their sleeves.

Literally.

Oh well, their aim was to be different, anyway.

"Alright, we gotta move now." Evergreen said, addressing the whole team. "You guys just kick ass, okay?"

"Thanks a lot, Evergreen, Freed!" Mira replied in behalf of the dancers, pulling both of them into a tight hug.

"Anytime, Mira. You know that." Freed replied as they hugged her back. They left, Evergreen trying to find a good spot to take a video from, and Freed off to see if Laxus or Bixlow need an extra pair of hands.

Natsu turned when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and grinned when he saw Lucy smiling brightly at him. "Hey."

"Hey." Lucy greeted back. "I tried to sit still but I couldn't help myself. So. Yep. I'm here."

Natsu laughed, wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist. "You look real cute with that beanie on."

"I know." she giggled. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel like I wanna dance. A lot."

"Good. It'll be bad otherwise." Lucy nodded, satisfied that Natsu was his usual confident self. "I don't have much time, show's about to start and I promised Loke he can hide behind me."

"Loke? Why?"

"The judge is his ex."

"Ah, yeah..." Natsu sniggered, looking towards the stands and spotting Loke trying to hide behind Meredy this time. "Okay, I feel bad for him."

"I know."

"Protect him."

"I know."

"And wish me luck."

Lucy simply smiled up at him before leaning up and giving the man a kiss for luck. Natsu pulled her close against him, returning the gesture.

"This will work, right? It will. Work." Erza asked as Jellal draped a comforting arm around her. "Right?"

"Of course. I saw you guys at practice. It's brilliant." Jellal replied. "And you'll pull it off."

"The other teams look really scary."

The man chuckled as he looked down at his girlfriend. "Erza, believe me, you're scarier than all of them."

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not." Jellal assured her. "You can do this." He pressed his lips on her forehead, and before he can pull away, Erza grabbed his collar and pulled him down to kiss him on the lips.

Cana looked away from the kissing couples and towards Gray. "I'm not kissing you."

Gray looked at her blankly. "Thanks."

The brunette smirked. "Kidding, I'm gonna do it anyway. C'mere!"

"WHY?" Gray complained as she kissed his cheek before hugging him tightly and mumbling "Good luck, loser!" to his shoulder. Before he can recover, Cana had proceeded to hug Juvia as well, then went to Wendy, then Lisanna, Mira, Levy, and the list goes on...

As the hosts began to call for the first team, the brunette had successfully finished hugging the life out of the rest of the team. Cana, Lucy and Jellal quickly said their goodbyes to the others before they went back to their seats.

.

The first team, who called themselves _'Cerberus'_ , gave an intense, hard-hitting performance. They seemed to specialize in krumping and breakdance. All their moves looked strong and heavy, the dancers moving in sharp, coordinated, almost military-like precision. Their music was a loud, booming remix with heavy bass.

"Think about it, though." Cana started, watching the finish. "They're all pretty much in sync and their moves were on point, but not much agility there."

"I didn't see any high jumps." Loke added. "Plus the whole number is so… aggressive?"

Meredy also said, "Yep. I won't go near any of 'em. They're badass, I guess but… too scary-looking?"

The second team was an all-girl group, _'Mermaid Heel'_. They danced a strong routine to a remix of popular girl-power anthems. Their moves were daring, snappy and quick. There were some impressive flips and formations in the routine. They represented female hip-hop dance - famous popstars will no doubt look forward to having this team to dance as backup on their concerts.

"It's solid, but not enough stunts." Ultear gave her critique. "People love tricks. It's a street dance battle, and I'm sure the judges will look for a breakdancer in each team. They didn't have that."

The third and fourth teams were downright formidable. They had everything - creative choreography, great presentation and confident members with great energy and audience rapport.

The third group came in, the crew looking suave donning suits and cases - fitting as they were called the _'Movers'_. They had sand for their props, and danced a unique and smooth pop-lock routine to a techno remix of a classical music piece.

The fourth group, the _'Crocus Dance League'_ danced to the latest hit songs and brought a really dynamic piece, enhanced by glow-in-the-dark gloves that emphasized their precise movements. All the members seemed to be capable breakdancers too, their floor rolls, headstands and flips all leaving the audience cheering.

"They have glowing stuff like we do." Lucy said, frowning worriedly.

"Don't worry. Whatever Freed, Bixlow and Ever cooked up, it's better." Cana assured her.

"You guys dance on their level." Jellal also provided. "It's a matter of creativity now."

"You're right." Lucy said. As they listened to the hosts introduce the final team, she exchanged a solemn look with Cana, who reached over to grip her hand. "Here it goes."

.

There was uproar from the audience, everyone wondering if all the lights in the venue going out was a technical issue or part of the performance.

When a lone spotlight focused on a raised platform in one side of the stage, the whole place fell silent.

The silence lasted as footsteps were heard, and a lone dancer walked up the short staircase and into the platform. Levy was wearing a black suit jacket on top of a casual flower-printed tank top and high-waisted shorts. She was wearing shiny red tap shoes, and a black fedora hat with an orange flower tucked in it.

As she stood in the center of the platform, she appeared to look around first, then took off her hat and set it in front of her.

She started tapping. Timid, experimental drills, clearly heard throughout the whole arena. She smiled inwardly - the floor microphone they borrowed from one of the dance studios Erza once worked for was working like a charm.

There was a soft general murmur of doubt from the audience as she started, and when it grew louder as she began her quiet tap solo, she put her right foot in a strong stomp - a clear, loud sound surprising the audience enough to silence them again.

After a beat, Levy stomped again, her left foot this time.

Then, Cana's vocals were heard - just an unacompanied, strong and slow solo:

 _((Whoa… Another day…))_

Levy's feet moved again, her tapping soft, providing beats to the next line.

 _((I take your pain away…))_

That's when the clear ring of a guitar solo was heard, and Levy's tap routine matched it in perfect sync. Gajeel's arrangement was an instrumental version of the original song - quick rhythmic notes one after the other, making out a melody instantly recognizable to those familiar with the song. It was enhanced by some low bass notes in the arrangement, but the percussions from Levy's tapping were still the ones heard clearest, providing the main beats of the song.

In the DJ's booth, Gajeel felt a strong hand clasp his shoulder, and looked beside him to see Laxus grinning. "It's working."

The raven-head grinned back. "Yeah."

"This is your work, y'know. You and Levy make a good team."

He breathed deeply, eyes directing back to the stage. "...Yeah."

Levy's tap moves started getting more complicated and impressive - she put in several twirls, brushes, stomps and claps that only added more variety in the sounds she was making. This added colorful beats to accompany the melody from the guitar, both sounds mixing perfectly together.

The audience held their breath at the unexpected combination giving them quite a unique show, and a reasonable portion of them even started cheering and clapping along with the song.

This what when several people stepped up into the stage, the formation looking random as a bunch of people, all of different appearances, walked in slow motion across the stage with their heads down in front of the platform where Levy was dancing.

It was the picture of a typical afternoon in downtown Crocus - a busy crowd of strangers, a street performer trying to put on a show.

And then without warning, Levy's routine provided a quick flurry of percussion sounds, and the vocals were heard again, Cana's voice singing a stylized version of the song's first verse:

 _((Some people talk about you, like they know all about you-  
When you get down they doubt you-  
And when you tipping on the scene, yeah they talkin' about it-))_

The audience let out a pleased gasp when two figures suddenly broke away from the slow-motion scene on the stage. Jet and Droy in their business suits and tap shoes slid smoothly past the others, throwing their suitcases away and they strode towards the staircases on either side of the platform. As they stepped up the stairs, the sounds of their steps added to the percussions in the duet.

 _(('Cause they can't tip all on the scene with you talkin' about it-  
T-T-Talkin' about it-))_

The trio easily fell in sync, dancing a complicated piece on top of the platform together and not missing a beat.

The three went separate ways - Levy front and center, Jet to the left and Droy to the right, and they didn't stop their tap dancing as they climbed down their respective staircase.

 _((When you get elevated, they love it or they hate it-  
You dance up on them haters, Keep getting funky on the scene-))_

The audience cheered loudly as they watched the trio dance up and down the staircases - never missing a beat, each step precise and calculated but still lightning fast. They could hear _everything_ happening.

Levy was focused on twirls and quick steps, Droy with light brushes, and Jet with strong stomps and jumps. This retained the different sounds in their arrangement, while also allowing the three to move separately but still matching the beat. It looked effortless despite the fact that any missed beat will be obvious and a careless step can send them tumbling down the stairs.

Lucy muffled her squeal with her hands. "Oh my gosh, don't fall don't fall don't fall..."

"Who was the insane person who thought _'hey, let's tap dance ON STAIRS?'_ " Loke demanded.

Cana didn't bother pleading innocent. "Guilty as charged. Hey, they didn't say no."

 _((While they jumpin' round you,  
they tryin' to take all your dreams-  
But you can't allow it!))_

Then several figures moved from the crowd again, and this time as they launched into dynamic movement, the rest slid away in a smooth exit from the stage.

Gray was wearing a jacket on top of his waiter uniform, while Max and Warren were in the business suits they wore from the video. Lisanna, Laki and Erza were wearing cardigans and jackets on top of casual blouses, shorts and boots.

The six fell into formation - a straight line in front of the platform, just in time for the chorus.

 _(('Cause baby whether you're high or low-))_

They fell in a pop-and-lock hip-hop routine filled with quick arm and leg movements switching with smoother ones to match the song's melody. It was a polished, controlled performance, all of them moving in unison, their steps precise.

 _((Whether you're high or low...  
You gotta tip on the tightrope!))_

With the responsibility of bringing in the percussions in the arrangement split evenly between them, all three tappers had more freedom of movement. Levy, Jet and Droy were able to match their arm movements to the other six, making their dance a fusion of tap and hip-hop while not looking out of place against the others.

 _((T-T-Tip on the tightrope!))_

This made the audience cheer louder as they finally got the hip-hop routine they were expecting, just with the fresh twist of the tappers.

 _((Baby, baby, whether you're high or low-  
Baby whether you're high or low...!))_

The formation broke as Erza, Lisanna and Laki all did a quick twirl and then launched into several flips and spins forward, while Gray, Max and Warren slid smoothly on the floor and did several knee rolls before getting back up.

 _((You got to tip on the tightrope...  
Now let me see you do the tightrope!))_

Now in two neat diagonal lines, the six continued the choreography for the chorus, rapid and snappy movements punctuated with smooth, slower ones. It was Gray's touch, upon Erza's request. His improved style proved a great match to their song choice, which seemed to switch between rap and funk.

 _((And I'm still tippin' on it!))_

That was when Natsu and Romeo, wearing matching dirty white construction jumpsuits, cut in - both running fast towards the platform, Jet and Droy effectively side-stepping to make way for the two, but not losing rhythm.

There were impressed cheers and shouts when the two then took turns doing complicated floor rolls, headstands, handstands and spins on top of the platform. The stunts were quick and the transitions were seamless.

 _((See I'm not walkin' on it, or tryin' to run around it-  
This ain't no acrobatics, you either follow or you lead, yeah!))_

They capped their performance off as they got back to their feet, goofily pretending to be disoriented for a while before both pointed towards the others off the stage again.

Max and Warren had switched to animation steps, their quick but sharp movements matching the tempo of the song. Besides the vocals, guitar and tapping, there were some techno effects slowly blending in the mix. This only highlighted the robotic movements from the two men, which earned them some intrigued whispers and impressed whistles.

 _((I'm talkin' about you, I'll keep on blaming the machine, yeah-  
I'm talkin' about it, T-T-Talkin' about it...))_

Both smoothly stepped aside as Erza, Lisanna and Laki stepped forward from between them, the ladies forming a straight line before falling into a triangle formation as they danced in jazz funk steps.

 _((I can't complain about it, I gotta keep my balance-  
And just keep dancing on it, we getting funky on the scene!))_

This time, they didn't hold back on their high kicks, spinning leaps and graceful pirouettes. The three moved in complete sync, exuding attitude and confidence as they stepped forward classily, shook their hips and swayed their bodies to the music.

 _((Yeah you know about it, like a star on the screen  
Watch me tip all on it...))_

The remix and arrangement had been steadily turning more techno.

By the next chorus, Levy, Jet and Droy had left the music fully on the mix as they left the staircase to join their friends in the stage. Romeo and Natsu jumped down from the platform and followed.

Everyone on the stage danced in chorus again, their sharp hip-hop moves mixed with smoother funk steps.

 _((Then baby whether I'm high or low...  
Baby whether you're high or low!))_

This time it was the guys who did the high flips and spins, while the girls did the heavy, floor-based steps. Then they all moved together again, their formation looking uncoordinated but their movements retaining the sense of unison.

 _((You gotta tip on the tightrope!  
Yeah, t-t-tip on the tightrope...!))_

It was then that the remix went full techno, the song transition smooth and seamless. The lights dimmed and changed color from the plain bright white spotlights to erratic strobe-like combinations of red, blue and green.

 _((Touch, touch...))_

The movement in the stage stopped as everyone stood still, heads bowed down again. The audience also fell silent, curious on where the routine was going this time.

 _((Touch, touch now...))_

The whispers of anticipation from the audience just grew when they saw the dancers slowly slipping off their jackets and cardigans, throwing them off the stage. The others rolled their sleeves up, some tied their jumpsuits to their waists and several new members were coming up the stage as well.

There was a bright light for a split-second, and the next thing they knew, the members had all stepped back from the center, forming a large circle on the stage. They were all standing still in various poses, and under the flashing colored lights, the audience were treated to a colorful sight. One side of each dancers' face, down to their neck, shoulder and arm was painted with glow-in-the-dark neon-colored symbols. Orange fire, red slashes, cyan ice cracks, cool blue water, bright purple veins, green vines, silver robotic lines, pink flowers and yellow stars.

"Evergreen painted all of those in two hours?" Jellal asked.

"Yup." Cana chuckled. "She's something else."

The effect was seamless, the circle looking like a chain of different colors when they all started to move and clap in sync to the song.

 _((I live for the applause, applause, applause...))_

Majority of the audience couldn't help but join the clapping as a faint spotlight was slowly trained in the empty center of the stage.

Mira was wearing a brilliant red dress and silver heels as she strode forward to step up front and center.

 _((I live for the applause-plause...  
Live for the applause-plause...))_

As the tempo of the music increased, she showed them exactly why she still made good money dancing solo to ballroom. Her steps were lively and dynamic, and her charisma was great that even without a partner, she was able to engage her audience with just turns and extensions.

 _((Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me,  
The applause, applause, applause-!))_

She finished off her introduction with a split, and was quickly joined by Alzack and Bisca for the chorus. Alzack wore a button-down with rolled-up sleeves, and Bisca had a matching purple dress and black heels.

The routine was fast and the three moved around the stage in an almost impossibly quick pace. Bisca and Mira took turns between dancing in partnerwork with Alzack and stepping away to do a short solo, everything coordinated perfectly, the chemistry between the three of them flawless.

 _((Give me that thing that I love!  
I'll turn the lights out!))_

"I've never seen a three-way cha cha before." Loke admitted. "How is Alzack holding up?"

Both Lucy and Cana shook their head. "Honestly, we don't know."

The three also took several beats to dance in chorus, their movements and footwork on-point as they danced the same steps before returning to partnerwork again.

 _((Put your hands up, make 'em touch, touch!  
Make it real loud!))_

Mira was a ballroom genius, really. This was her choreogprahy, it was tricky but they pulled it off, just the three of them: Alzack gave Bisca a complicated lift, spinning around and as soon as she slid off him, he was able to turn and catch Mira in his arms, hold her in a smooth dip and then supporting her as she did a flip.

 _((Give me that thing that I love!  
I'll turn the lights out!))_

Meanwhile, the others had also moved to make the scene more dynamic even as they stayed crouching low to keep the attention focused on the ballroom routine. The girls had stepped forward to form a smaller circle, their painted arms highlighting their quick pop-lock moves. Similarly, the guys formed the outer circle. Their movements were smoother, lyrical contemporary gestures.

The effect made it look like a kaleidoscope framing the three dancers.

 _((Put your hands up, make 'em touch, touch!  
Make it real loud!))_

Then the spotlight spun around the stage before focusing on everyone. In one swift move, they had changed formation, all of them divided into pairs of one guy and one girl. The transition was instantaneous as the guys did some hip-hop floorwork moves while the girls danced around them, their pirouettes and kicks coordinated gracefully.

 _((Make it real loud!  
Put your hands up, make 'em touch, touch!))_

The combined hip-hop and ballroom routine continued, until the girls pulled the guys up and their style transitioned smoothly to jazz with the fluid arm movements and leg extensions.

 _((Make it real loud!  
Put your hands up, make 'em touch, touch!))_

As everyone danced in unison again, the remix transitioned to their final song. It was dubstep mixed with guitar and bass instrumentals, and on top of that was a strong, clear violin melody, the notes long and slow.

As the new song started, the dancers' movements slowed down again as they slowly fell into their next formation. The pairs separated, and they all fell in a random arrangement on the stage again, before all seemingly falling to their knees and lying on the dance floor.

 _((Feels like you're standing there so small...  
Just the space between the stars.))_

Then two dancers rose up fluidly from opposite sides of the stage, arms extended, reaching out towards each other and both their movements slow and smooth.

Juvia wore a plain white dress ending above her knees and dark leggings with a flowing wave pattern that seemed to glow faintly from underneath. Similarly, Gray was wearing his white button-top with the sleeves rolled up, and dark-colored pants. The water and ice patterns in their arms seemed to glow as they danced.

 _((Don't be afraid to risk it all...))_

There were impressed murmurs from the audience as what looked like a white blinking glow seemed to flow erratically across the stage floor. The stage looked like a small sea of shimmering stars and electric currents as the dancers began swaying to the beat.

"Alright, what did you do?" Laxus finally asked the men beside him.

Freed smirked and said, "Put fiber optics and tiny LED lights under parts of their clothes?"

"And made a quick app so we can control 'em remotely. All in one week." Bixlow finished, grinning proudly as he pressed keys on his laptop while Freed flipped some switches on the messy-looking gadgets beside him. "That's not the best part, though. Watch."

 _((Cause we are, we are...))_

Juvia and Gray started moving around the stage, mirroring each other with fluid twirls, high kicks and graceful extensions. As they did this, the others moved swiftly out of their way, one by one switching into different poses when Juvia or Gray touched them or passed by. The effect was only made more magical as the lights under their clothes turned a different color with each shift.

"Whew. Nothing's exploding yet." came Freed's relieved mumble.

 _((We are giants, we are giants...  
We are giants, we are, we are-))_

As the violin sounds and bass beats adjusted to a faster tempo, so did the contemporary dance movements in the stage, and by the time Gray and Juvia met each other in the center, the rest of the dancers had spread out in a neat diamond shaped formation around them.

 _((We are giants, we are giants...  
We are giants, we are, we are!))_

In the instrumental break that followed, the two launched into an intricate routine, a fusion of contemporary and hip-hop.

Gray and Juvia were catching and assisting each other as they took turns doing flips and leaps. Juvia's movements had their usual fluid quality, even as Gray lifted her and spun both of them around before letting her slide down gracefully to transition into effortless floorwork. As she did this, he kicked and leapt from above. Gray's steps had obvious roots from lyrical hip-hop, and were snappy, quick and precise.

It was a parallel of the song they were dancing to: smooth classic violin sounds layered above modern dubstep beats.

They finished their duet with both of them moving in unison to the same steps, then doing a coordinated pirouette towards one another. For a moment, the audience gasped as it seemed like Juvia was about to fall on the floor while Gray slipped past her, but in the last second, they caught each other's hands.

The audience cheered loudly at the heart-stopping moment, and the two held the position for a beat before they stood back up and twirled away to get into the next position.

Gray quickly strode away as Juvia stepped forward, falling into a neat line with Lisanna, Laki and Wendy. The girls danced in perfect unison, with contemporary-style flips and turns matched with intricate arm movements.

 _((Raise your flag; Let your voice be heard,  
Put your heart into every word you say...))_

Then Natsu and Romeo stepped in front of the girls, both breaking into hard-hitting krump steps before going down with a few stunts on the floor. The others behind them danced hip-hop choreography to match the two.

 _((All your failures' a cornerstone...  
Build a house with the things you've thrown away!))_

Max and Warren came in then, and the others switched to slow-motion hip-hop, while the two did a short animation routine. Their robotic movements were a perfect match with the erratic, sci-fi-like neon green glow from under their clothes and from the machine lines painted on their arms and one side of their face.

 _((Feels like you're standing there so small...  
Just the space between the stars.))_

Levy, Jet and Droy joined them in the formation, their moves rooted in hip-hop but accented by their quick footwork.

 _((Don't be afraid to risk it all...  
Cause we are, we are...))_

As Mira, Alzack and Bisca came in, the rough and snappy choreography turned into a smooth and graceful one while they used ballroom gestures and footwork.

 _((We are giants, we are giants...  
We are giants, We are, we are-))_

Then finally falling into formation to them were Erza and Gray, who led the team together in an intricate, hard-hitting hip-hop number. It was reminiscent of the finale of their entry video - everyone moving in chorus.

 _((We are giants, we are giants...  
We are giants, we are, we are-))_

The final instrumental break kicked in, with intense techno effects and strong violin melodies.

The team smoothly slid into their last formation, this time four rows of four dancers each, forming a perfect square. They weren't sorted according to any criteria: the first row with Erza, Gray, Levy and Mira; second: Natsu, Bisca, Romeo and Juvia; third: Laki, Wendy, Droy and Lisanna; and lastly Max, Alzack, Jet and Warren.

They were still moving in sync - not missing a beat, their timing precise.

"They're stepping up to the challenge." Cana said above the roar of the very impressed audience. Her companions looked at her. "Sending a message."

"... that they're not compensating for anything." Ultear nodded. "They're just as good as the other teams on the same game. The difference is that they can do more."

 _((We are giants, we are giants...  
We are giants, we are, we are-))_

For this last part of the mix, the steps seamlessly switched between different styles, with not one person looking out of place. The formation soon broke out, with the dancers stepping backwards and sidewards into seemingly random directions. With the controlled chaos, it was hard to notice one person stepping back up to the raised platform.

 _((We are giants, we are giants...  
We are giants, we are! We are!))_

There was a flash of light again with the final beat, and when the lights went on to the stage, there was Levy, on her original position in the center of the platform. She was back as the street performer, and the others forming a crowd of people across the stage, but this time with their painted faces, necks and shoulders exposed.

The dancers let their audience take in the picture for a beat, before they all moved to exit casually: ordinary people just passing by the street.

As the audience gave them a loud, roaring applause and a standing ovation, Levy picked her hat up, bowed, put her hat back on, and took her leave.

.

.

The audience were cheering different team names as the arena waited for the judges to discuss their verdict. The teams were gathered in small huddles on the side of the stage, all standing tense and nervous.

As Evergreen and Elfman joined them, both holding video cameras, they noted the reactions of their dance crew.

"Holy crap, I totally thought I was gonna fall down those goddamn stairs." Jet said, panting. Levy was hugging him tightly, her face buried in his chest while she also clung to Droy's shirt.

"Well, I almost fell from the platform after my handstand." Romeo breathed out, looking shaken. _What just happened, did he actually do that?_

Wendy was jumping up and down with Lisanna and Natsu, who were both singing - _"We did it! We did it! Hurray!"_

Meanwhile Juvia was looking up at Gray, still catching her breath. "Did Juvia mess up? Juvia missed a turn because Juvia couldn't see properly in the dark but-"

All Gray said was "What are you even talking about." before pulling her to a tight hug.

"You were EVERYTHING out there." Erza said, as she smiled proudly and pat Juvia on the back.

Laki had her arm draped on Max's shoulder as she fistbumped with Warren. "You guys looked like actual robots! And I'm so tired! And I'm soooo _happy_!"

"I mean, they told me it'll light up, but I didn't know it'll light up like that..." Alzack was telling Bisca as they both picked on their clothes.

Bisca nodded. "I couldn't even feel anything in here. Freed must've done some special sewing thing."

"I was expecting it to explode anytime while we were dancing."

Of course, it was Mira who noticed that they had company. "Elf! Ever!" She met her brother with a grateful hug. "Did it work? It didn't look that much of a mess, did it?"

"It was the best, nee-chan." Elfman answered.

"Mira, it... it was like magic. Seriously." Evergreen said, taking the other woman's hands in hers.

"You made that happen." Erza said, also hugging the brunette.

"Group hug!" Bixlow said as he crashed against the two and joined in the hug shortly before throwing his hands up in the air. "You guys nailed it! Everything! Was! Fabulous!"

He froze when they all stared at him. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, he asked, "Uh... yeah? What did I do?"

He laughed when everyone basically shouted at him that the lights were amazing.

Mira and Erza also greeted Freed with a hug, while Gray grinned as Laxus gave him a pat on the back. Their performance wouldn't be as great without their wonderful tech team.

Juvia and Levy glomped at Gajeel at the same time, and the man blinked and stammered as he pat their heads awkwardly. "W-What the hell's wrong... with you?"

"Juvia danced in front of a lotta people!" Juvia declared happily. Behind her, everyone cheered.

"I didn't mess up our duet!" Levy added, also looking thrilled.

Gajeel just sighed and smiled down at them. "Good job, both of you."

"What do you think?" Mira asked, looking up at Laxus. "Think it's enough?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, it's the judges deciding." Laxus said. When they all frowned and pouted up at him, he sighed and said, "Well, it was brilliant. No one held back, you gave it everything you've got, and it was the best performance you guys have done together so far. The audience loved it. You gave 'em a great show tonight. So... congratulations, I guess. You make the old man proud."

"How about you?" Freed asked, smiling slyly.

Laxus narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend before looking away and grumbling. "That goes without saying."

Needless to say, he got teased by the others because _"Oooohh, Laxus loves uuuusss!"_

Then a hush fell across the arena as the event's hosts stepped up to the spotlight again, holding an envelope containing the results.

The long introduction was drowned out among the audience chanting team names. Off the stage, the huddled dancers fell silent and grew tenser in both anxiety and anticipation.

"And now, for the moment we've all been waiting for. The winner of the Street Dance Battle, taking home our cash prize and a performing contract with our primary sponsor, Royal Productions...! Drumroll, please!"

It must be the longest drumroll the Guild has ever heard.

The host opened the envelope, and a split-second frown crossed his face before he immediately grinned and announced: "Give it up for the Crocus Dance League!"

.

.

"Goddammit!" Cana was seething, crossing her arms across her chest as she leaned back in her seat.

Lucy buried her face in her hands, breathing out heavily, while Loke ran a resigned hand through his hair before he wrapped an arm around the blonde.

"Sorry." Jellal said, looking mournfully at them, then towards the Guild members standing disappointed in the side of the stage as the fourth team came up to claim their prize. He saw Mira hugging Erza consolingly.

"The Guild's the best, though!" Meredy complained, looking honestly hurt. "I'm not just saying that, they're really clearly the ones with the most talent!"

Ultear smiled lightly and laid a hand on the teen's shoulder. Then as she watched the reactions of the crew, she said, "Wait, something's happening."

Her companions quickly leaned forward, alert. "What?"

.

.

"We did our best." Freed said, resting his hand on Laxus's arm gently. "This is not for us, I guess."

The blonde closed his eyes and breathed deeply, and let Freed pull him in for a hug.

He looked at the rest of the team. Of course they were all upset. Dammit, they all worked so hard for this. Mira was holding Erza, who was trying not to cry. Gajeel stood awkwardly comforting Levy, Jet and Droy. Juvia was pretty much holding her tears in as well as she held on to Gray's arm. Elfman comforted Lisanna while Natsu was trying to make Wendy laugh. Bixlow and Romeo were unusually silent. Alzack, Max and Warren just stood forlorn while Bisca and Laki smiled sadly at each other, and Evergreen draped her arms across both women's shoulders.

They did do their best. Sadly, it wasn't good enough.

It was then that an unfamiliar voice was heard. "Hello, excuse me, may I talk to the leader of the crew?"

They turned to see a young, friendly-looking woman with light green hair, wearing a simple but elegant dress topped with a dark red blazer. Her appearance clearly meant business.

The crew exchanged looks, and after a few seconds, Laxus realized that they were all looking at him expectantly. Freed pulled away from him, giving him a small nudge. The blonde finally gathered himself, cleared his throat as he stepped forward. "It's me. Laxus Dreyar, who's asking?"

The woman smiled brightly. "My name is Hisui. I saw your performance, and it was something I've never seen before. Now, don't get offended, but I do think that... the contract for Royal Productions up there that you want? It's not for you."

She looked pleased when the others stepped forward, more curious than offended.

"Truth is, I work in Royal Productions. We offered the contract to get a dance crew that will serve as entertainment for the advertising events of our partner products. I don't think that's your crew's forte. I'm not working directly on that department, though. I'm approaching you guys with something slightly different. From what I've seen of your number, I think I have something that's more your speed."

Hisui kept her poker-face on as Laxus asked, "So what're you... saying, exactly?"

"We're starting this project called the _'Fiore Creative Movement'_. The plan is, to tour Fiore, do different, unique performances, and have young people join the free workshops we'll be conducting. The aim is to encourage more kids to pursue their creative goals."

She let a soft smile cross her face when she saw their faces light up. She knew, from what little she had seen of them, that they would like the idea.

"Now we need a group of performers to come tour with us, conduct workshops and the like. It's easy enough to find those... but what we're really looking for is a crew flexible enough to bring different stuff on the table. We need a group with the right attitude for the project."

"You think we have this… 'right attitude'?" Erza asked, stepping up beside Laxus.

"The number you performed just now - it wasn't a performance." the woman answered. "It was a statement."

"You're offering us to work with you on your project." Laxus repeated, blinking. Behind him, he knew the others were ecstatic.

"I'm offering you a contract, a sponsored - so paid - tour, and an opportunity to spread your message." Hisui grinned as she raised a hand and offered him a small slip of paper. "Think about it. Here's my card. I hope we can meet up soon to discuss this in detail."

And just like that, she had left, moving smoothly through the crowds of dancers, audiences and tech people moving around off-stage.

Laxus looked down at the card and when he turned to face the others again, he was met with hopeful, excited smiles.

And he knew.

Screw the cash and the prize contract. They got something _better_.

He grinned, raising the card like a trophy.

"Alright, who's in?"

.

.

end of ch. 16

.

* * *

 **A/N:** BOY THAT WAS A TRIP.

I actually don't know what to put here.

Yes, I wrote the whole dance scene in one sitting but that's after staring blankly to space and thinking about it for a whole week.

'Cerberus' = Quatro Puppy, 'Mermaid Heel' already sounds like a dance group name? 'Movers' is- ignore that part. Also the Crocus Dance League... ignore them too. Whatevs.. Yes, Karen is evil Beyonce. And yeah, that Hisui IS the Princess Hisui. I mean c'mon, she loves Fairy Tail.

And yes, they didn't win. But like Laxus said, it's _better_.

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- The three songs in the mix: _Tightrope_ by Janelle Monae (custom arrangement by Levy, Gajeel and Laxus, vocals by Cana), _Applause_ by Lady Gaga (Laxus was singing this in the showeeeerrr), _We_ _Are Giants_ by Lindsey Stirling because dubtep and violin?!  
\- Tap-dancing on stairs is seriously awesome though.  
\- The references and inspirations for the performance are partly inspired by like 10 different dance routines and movies, and the other half is just my personal preference.

 **Last Chapter: The Finale of the Finale** _  
_


	17. What If I Shine

**A/N:** Last! Chapter!

It's been a trip. I always get overwhelmed by the amount of love 'Sparks' gets, and it's kinda bittersweet that we're in the last chapter now! This was only supposed to be a quick 50k-word story but it doubled in size.

Anyways, here's me tying the loose ends neatly together. It starts a week or two after the last chapter. Sparks is written to "look" like a dance movie - I guess this here's the ending montage.

Quick note on the song: yes, I used a Barbie song because Barbie Movies are AWESOME. In the context of Sparks, though, it's supposed to stand in for a song from Lucy-and-Cana's 'Glitter' musical. So yeah maybe imagine Lucy singing it - you'll understand why I picked it when you get to that part!

Let do this - I hope you enjoy!

* * *

.

.

 **. SPARKS .  
**

.

 **Chapter 17:**  
 _("What if I lose my breath when I throw those big doors open?_  
 _Or tonight, just tonight..._ _")  
_ **What If I Shine?  
** \- Barbie Rock N' Royals

.

"Listen, you don't have anything to worry about. I watched you. Heck, Lucy watched you. What did she say again?"

Juvia closed her eyes and breathed deeply before answering, "Lucy-san said she's honored that Juvia came up with a beautiful routine for her song."

"See?" Gray said, smirking confidently. "You'll nail it. You already danced to hundreds of people last week. This one's gonna be a piece of cake."

The woman nodded. "Gray is right. Juvia will not let Lucy-san and the others down."

They stood right outside the closed audition halls and the participants were being called. The only ones allowed inside were the auditionees, the official members, and the judging panel.

Gray would be waiting outside. Juvia would be alone, against her competitors and the people she was aiming to work with. And she was choosing right now to be nervous about her routine.

He couldn't blame her. The competition looked tough. But he knew she was tough, too.

Yes, her routine was new. It was not the same one they spent weeks polishing, because after the dance battle, she suddenly came up with this new routine. It surprised Gray because this one was even better than the last one, even if they only had a week to work on it. Juvia felt good about it, and he agreed that she had reason to.

So really, she shouldn't worry about it now.

"All applicants, please! We'll start in five minutes!" someone called out from down the hall.

Juvia and Gray looked at each other. Juvia smiled while Gray simply nodded, encouraging.

"Go." he said, tucking strands of hair behind her hair before taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze. "I'll be waiting right here."

Juvia looked down at their hands, and when she met his eyes again, she had a determined expression. "Juvia will come back with good news."

"I know you will."

She leaned up and pressed her lips against his while he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss.

She had a brave smile on as she left. Gray knew then that he had done his part. Now he just had to wait.

.

" Juvia-chan is not going with the others on tour?"

From her perch on the windowsill, Cana looked up from the script she was reading and turned towards her father.

Gildarts was sitting on the couch and had put down his magazine. His expression looked thoughtful.

They had been sitting together in silence when Gildarts asked about the tour deal that Cana's friends in the Guild were working on closing, and Cana had mentioned that Juvia chose to opt out from the offer.

"She's determined to be on Rainfall. That's what she came here for, anyway." the brunette answered.

Gildarts frowned slightly. "You know, if Aquarius thinks Juvia-chan's really good, she'd be willing to let the girl go on tour, before going back to Rainfall. It's good exposure. For both her and the company."

Cana nodded, then simply shrugged. "It's what Juvia decided, though. She said she wants to train with the company first. I think it's a good call. She never had any formal training or took up dancing jobs before… it will do her good to learn pro stuff first."

Gildarts accepted the answer easily, but still had his concerns. "Won't it be sad without Gray and the others?"

"They're grownups, they'll make it work. Besides, she won't be alone." Cana said with a soft smile, returning to reading the script of her new show. "Some of us are staying."

.

"This is my stop." Erza said as she and Jellal reached the bridal shop. "Wish me luck not to be swallowed by wedding dresses."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Jellal chuckled, planting a quick kiss on the red-head's cheek. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course." she said, and then watched him walk away. He disappeared when he made a turn for the street where the ballet studio was. Erza looked up at the shop's fancy signage one more time just to check that she was in the right one, then finally entered.

She immediately saw Laki and Lisanna fussing over Alzack and Warren, both already wearing tuxedos.

"Well, both of you look dashing." the red-head said, smiling in amusement as Alzack blushed and Warren shifted bashfully.

Lisanna beamed at her. "Right? Al looks really good in this one! What d'you think?"

"Nice pick." Erza said. "How 'bout the other boys?"

"We'll see if we can rent enough like the one Warren's wearing." Laki answered. "Bisca's waiting for you in the dressing room, by the way."

Erza smiled and left the matter of the guys' clothes to the two girls' capable hands. When she entered the dressing room, she saw Bisca standing by the mirror. One of the shop assistants were fixing the laces on the back of the wedding dress.

"Erza!" Bisca brightened up, seeing the other woman. "You made it! Gosh, I'm so sorry to bother you, I know today's a busy day-"

Erza laughed, stepping forward to stand behind the bride-to-be. She rested her hand on the other woman's shoulders. "No way, I already let Laxus steal your best man on dress-fitting day, I'm not letting him have your maid of honor too."

Bisca laughed. "Thanks. Warren is such a trooper, I don't know how Max convinced him to proxy. They hate this stuff."

"Oh, but they love you." Erza shrugged, and as the shop assistant stepped back, both friends looked at the mirror. "You look perfect, Bisca."

Bisca smiled gratefully. "Really?"

"Mm-hm." the red-head nodded. "The prettiest."

"I can't believe it's happening." Bisca sighed, turning to face her best friend, taking the other woman's hands in hers.

Erza chuckled, swinging their hands playfully. "Same here."

"It sounds rushed, right? I mean, it's in two weeks! And I can't help but feel like we're all kinda pulling you guys in our pace… it's just that we want to do this before you leave for your tour-"

"We know." Erza said, soothing. "And don't worry about it. We're happy we get to be with you and Al for this before we get packing! We'll be a year and half on the road. It's crazy."

"Erza, I..." Bisca looked down, squeezing her friend's hands lightly. "Is it really okay that Al and I... we're staying?"

"Hey. You and Al are happy here." Erza answered firmly. "Dancing and teaching classes together. Mira's really grateful you'll be taking over while she goes with us. We're all happy for the two of you. That's why we're really excited for this whole wedding thing, you know?"

"Right." Bisca nodded, an appreciative smile on her face. Then she finally let go and clapped her hands together. "Back to business! Let's find the perfect bridesmaid dresses for you and the girls."

Erza braced herself. "Okay, let's do it."

.

Lucy was on break from rehearsals when her phone rang. She rarely got calls during the middle of the day, most of them just her manager calling about a change in her schedule or something similar, so it surprised her when she saw Natsu's name and goofy smiling face on her phone screen.

Nevertheless, she took the call, greeting her boyfriend teasingly. "Hey, bad boy~"

There was a momentary pause before she heard his reply. "Oh c'mon, that was one time!"

Lucy had to keep herself from laughing out loud. "Uh-huh. One time. Yup."

"It was a phase!" Natsu insisted, and she swore she could see him pout. "So I had a stupid shirt when I was sixteen. So you found it in my closet. Let me live now!"

This time Lucy allowed herself a short laugh. "Okay, sorry - it's just so funny! Hand-painted flames and all."

"I'm burning it."

"I took it."

"WHAT?"

"I took your stupid shirt." she shrugged. "Finders keepers." When she heard him grumbling and sulking, she finally asked, "So why did you call? My break's almost over."

"Ah! Um... Err... Lucy, guess what!"

Lucy was confused. He suddenly sounded so happy. "Uhhh... what?"

"I got a ticket!"

Boy, Natsu sounded really happy. Lucy couldn't help but humor him. "Okay, what ticket?"

Did he actually scoff? "A ticket to yer show next week, duuuuh!" Lucy paused, blinking, then chuckled as she listened to him go on. "I just got my pay, see, and I got some bonus for takin' up extra hours and doin' stuff and shit, so first thing I did was get a ticket for your concert thing. I mean, I'm gonna go away for what, eight months before gettin' two months break and then we go off for another eight, right? So I said, nope, no way, I'm not goin' without seein' Lucy perform again and-"

"Natsu." she called, and he stopped. Lucy smiled fondly as she continued. "Promise me you'll make it."

"Hell yeah, I will. This ticket's damn expensive."

"It is." Lucy chuckled. She had always told him that she could get tickets for him, but he always insisted on working for it, not getting special treatment. He did it for 'Glitter', for her other shows, and now for this concert. "I'm really happy you'll be there. Because my dad will be there too, and I'll finally get to introduce you to each other."

"WHAT."

"So wear a nice suit."

"WHAAAT?"

"Okay, rehearsals are startin' again. Love you! Bye!"

"Wha- LUCY!"

.

"So you've been offered to tour, but you're not going?"

Wendy and Romeo looked at each other, then back towards Chelia.

"I mean... we have school." Romeo shrugged. "Laki and Lisanna are staying too, y'know."

Wendy nodded. "But Laxus-san said he'll have the contract list us as reserve members. That means we can tag along on summer vacation. It's a good arrangement, I guess. Since they said that's when they expect more kids to take on the workshops… so that's when they'll need extra hands."

"Oh." Chelia said, blinking. "So you're... staying here while there's school?"

"Yes..." Wendy replied, her brows furrowed. "Is something wrong, Chelia-chan...?"

"Actually..." the other girl started, looking away for a bit before looking back at Wendy. "I've been planning to cover this one song for a while now... and a friend of mine has a good idea for a video to go with it, but... we're kinda... short-handed? Err-"

Romeo was quick to jump in. "I'm sure Wendy can help you out, no big! She helps Bix with our vids sometimes, y'know, and-"

"Romeo-kun!" Wendy scolded, then smiled uneasily. "I'm not sure if I can be helpful-"

Chelia didn't let her finish. "Actually, yes, because we need a dancer."

Wendy gaped, while Romeo looked at her, smug.

Chelia clapped her hands together as if in prayer, bowed her head and practically pleaded. "Please please please? You're a beautiful beautiful dancer and it'll mean a lot to me and my team if you dance for our vid! I'm sure you'll like the song, it's a really good one! And we'll pay! It won't be much, but-"

"Yes."

Chelia looked up, and found Wendy blushing as she said, "I... I'll be honored to work with you..."

Then Romeo coughed and said, "Wendy sings too, thought you oughtta know."

"WHAT, REALLY?!"

Wendy almost fell over. "Wha- N-n-no, I-"

Chelia grabbed the other girl's hands. "Wendy-chan, why didn't you tell me?! We can totally do a duet! C'mon, what d'you wanna sing? Let's do it!"

.

"And... done." Max put the documents down on the coffee table and then leaned back on the couch, stretching his arms. "Didn't see anything fishy, everything's pretty clear cut and matches what we all agreed on with Hisui-san."

Laxus looked at the other man, arms crossed in front of his chest. "So what d'you say?"

Max smirked. "I say you can sign it now, boss-man."

"Right." The blonded grinned and nodded. He had already read through the final contract for the tour, but he wanted a second pair of eyes on it before signing. Max was easily the best person for the job, with his experience on papers and documents from his desk job.

Correction: former desk job, most of them have pretty much quit their current jobs to get ready for the tour deal.

"Thanks. I'll sign it and just change into somethin' nice. We wanna beat the traffic uptown."

Max nodded, standing up. "I'll do that too. Will tell Mira-chan we're leavin' soon."

With that, Max had left him to go downstairs. Laxus asked him and Mira to go with him to the final meeting with Hisui to formalize the agreement and discuss some arrangements. He chose the two simply because Max was their business-oriented guy and Mira was their best people accountant.

Laxus still couldn't believe it, but here he was, appointed team leader and signing a tour project deal with a major company. Most of his housemates were in on it.

It was pretty crazy.

After signing the documents, closing the folder and tucking it safely into an envelope, he headed towards the bedroom to change out of his baggy shirt and sweatpants.

He was surprised to find his nicest shirt and pants already ironed and hung by his closet door. He saw a curious piece of paper tucked on the shirt's pocket and took it out to reveal a note written in familiar neat handwriting:

 _'Laxus -_

 _Don't use your brown belt. Go with the black one.  
Wear your silver necklace. It will match your shirt.  
There's a nice, working pen on your favorite coat.  
Also, don't complain if Mira wants to brush your hair.  
Trust her. She knows what she's doing._

 _Kisses!  
\- F._

 _P.S. Don't forget your umbrella!'_

He smirked as he folded the piece of paper and tucked it back again to the shirt pocket.

.

"Hey, handsome." Mira greeted when Laxus arrived downstairs. He had his coat, the document envelope, and an umbrella tucked in his arm as he used his other hand to fix his collar. Mira had just finished helping Max with the man's necktie when she transferred over to Laxus to nitpick at his clothes. After quickly looking him up and down, she concluded that she didn't have to do much. "Well, you look flawless. I bet it's Freed work?"

"Do I dress that badly?" he frowned. "And he also said you'll try and fix my hair."

"Ah! Yep. I see it now. C'mere." Mira said, then pulled him to sit on a chair so she could sleek his hair back neatly. She wasn't their best hairdresser or stylist, but she had plenty of experience grooming her students - young and old - before ballroom performances. "It's sad, he just moved in and you're already going to be away for a year."

"Please." Laxus huffed. "Don't be dramatic. We're going on tour, not off to war. He said that, by the way."

Mira pouted at him. "Still!"

He thought about it, and then looked at the woman. "You just want me to do something sappy and watch me fail at it, do you?"

Max sniggered. "S'not just her, boss."

The woman shrugged, standing back to admire her work on the man's blonde hair. "I'm just saying! Better do something special before running off. I mean, we'll both be away and that pretty much makes Freed in charge."

She was right, he knew. Maybe they should have a night out or something soon. Maybe even take a short trip home, spend a few days with Makarov… Yeah, that'll be nice.

"Well if I do any special whatever, I'm not gettin' any of you guys involved." Laxus said grumpily before standing up. "We'll be late. Let's just get down to business-"

He saw the split-second spark in their eyes and before the two could burst into song, he cut them off.

 _"NO. WE ARE NOT SINGING MULAN."_

They end up playing it in the car anyway because Mira kept humming.

.

Freed and Evergreen were taking a coffee break from the dressing room activities when he received a message.

He almost spit out his beverage as he saw an obviously stolen photo of Laxus looking dashing in the outfit Freed picked for the blonde.

Mira's message read: _'Fearless Leader now ready to close this deal while looking like a real boss. Nice job, F!'_

"She's right." Evergreen said, looking over Freed's shoulder and at the message while nodding approvingly. "A-plus. Would recommend."

Freed just rolled his eyes at the brunette as he typed in his reply: _'Hair credit goes to you, M.'_

The next message came quick.

 _'It's the outfit that carries it! They'll look better in your bedroom floor tho. Wait that's a good one. IM GONNA TELL HIM. ;D'_

 _'MIRA NO'_

 _'MIRA YES'_

Freed groaned in embarrassment as Evergreen laughed loudly.

.

"Okay, lemme get the plan straight..." Bixlow started, looking directly at his companion. "So in the wedding reception, we all go with the flow, but when it's our turn, we'll let you have the garter. Then we also have to tell the girls-... Okay, I really suggest we get Lisanna to do this part 'cause she's the best? So anyways. We tell the girls that they should let Ever catch the bouquet. But she's not supposed to know that something's up. And then when you two go up the stage, you gonna get down on one knee and show 'er the ring and pop the question. Boom, engaged. That's the plan?"

Elfman stared back at the other man and shifted uneasily. "Umm... p-pretty much, yeah?"

Dammit, the saleslady was now looking at them with a smile that screamed _'Aww, look at these dorks...'_

"Alright, okay, I get it. We gonna go with that. It'll be beautiful and very noisy. Just like Ever." Bixlow nodded repeatedly, and then looked back down again at the hundreds of wedding and engagement rings on display before him.

Elfman stayed quiet as he looked helplessly at the jewelry.

After a while, Bixlow sighed. "Dude, I suck at this. You really dunno what to get for her? Where's Freed when 'ya need him, eh?"

"He's busy, like Laxus. Same with Mira-nee-chan and Lisanna. You're the only one available."

"For the record, I'm glad I quit my sucky job so I get to be on the tech team with you for this tour gig thing."

Elfman chuckled. "It'll be nice to see more places too."

"I'll miss Freed and Ever though. Why couldn't they come along, right? Then again, they _do_ love their jobs here." Bixlow sighed. "I'll be stuck with grumpy Laxus. And you. But don't worry, I like you, man."

"Uh… I like you… too?"

"Aw, you're very sweet, bro."

"Did Ever mention... anything... to you guys? About how she feels about me leaving? She's been busy lately so we don't get to talk much."

Bixlow thought about it before answering. "Oh, yeah. I did ask her, like, few days ago, if she'll miss you or be upset or whatever..."

"What did she say?"

"Nah, she said she'll miss you, but she ain't worried."

Elfman blinked.

"Freed and Ever told me you and Laxus won't fool around 'cause I'm with you and you guys know I'm a snitch." Bixlow grinned, then laughed. "I admit, I was touched! She trusts me!"

Elfman just looked confused before he shook his head and sighed. "So... d'you think I should still propose? At first I thought I'll do it to tell her that I'm serious about this and I won't do anything crazy while away but now I know she's not as worried about it-"

Bixlow actually looked scandalized. "What in the name of Beyonce are you even-... Oi! Strauss!"

"W-What-"

Elfman had to back away a bit, under the threatening semi-glare the other man was giving him. "Do you want to marry my best friend or not?!"

Elfman stood to attention. "I do!"

Bixlow grinned and then slapped his hand on his friend's back. "Then dammit, let's ask her, bro!" After a pause, he reconsidered. "But we'll get nowhere just starin' at all these rings, so... Um... Miss?"

Elfman watched as his companion politely and cheerfully asked a nearby saleslady for her expert advice. He had to admit that he wished he had brought Freed along, but now he's starting to think that Bixlow wasn't so bad.

Yeah, maybe they'll pull this off.

.

When Gajeel stepped inside the record store, he was instantly greeted by a loud exclamation.

 _"GAJEEL-SEMPAI ARE YOU FINALLY COMING BACK TO US?!"_

He smirked as he took in the sight of Sting in the counter organizing several piles of CD's and visibly suffering. "You wish, kid. Was just in the area, thought I'd drop by here to check things out."

The blonde groaned, slumping on the counter top. "I'm happy you get to have a badass job playin' shows and teachin' kids and stuff but your replacement is a freakin' slave-driver..."

"Hey, you signed up for this." Gajeel reminded him.

"Because I thought it'd be fun to work with Rogue, like, we can spend time together! Plus you're a cool sempai! But I wasn't even two weeks in and you resign leavin' us with-"

A distant shout of a female voice was then heard from the back room: _"STING, IT'S BEEN AN HOUR, WHERE ARE THOSE CD'S?!"_

Gajeel had to admit, he kinda felt bad when the kid visibly cringed in fear as he answered, "I'm almost done, Minerva-sama!"

 _"IF I FIND OUT YOU'RE SLACKING OFF, I'LL DOCK YOUR PAY!"_

"YES, MA'AM!" Sting called back, then turned towards the raven-head again. "Why couldn't you get someone... nicer?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who hired 'er. It's the horrible boss." Gajeel shrugged. "'Sides, she's… like, a temp, right? Just someone to reorganize business and renovate the shop or some shit like that, then she's out again? Maybe after her someone better will come along."

 _"Stiiiilll..."_ the blonde despaired.

"Hello, Gajeel-san." Rogue greeted pleasantly as he joined them. He was carrying a stack of vinyl records.

"Kid." Gajeel nodded towards his fellow raven-head. "Busy?"

"A bit." the teen replied with a content shrug. "It's nice having something different to do."

Sting sulked and looked at his boyfriend accusingly. "She likes him better."

"I wonder why..." came from both of his companions.

"Traitors!" the blonde almost broke down in tears, but was distracted when he saw someone by the shop window. "Uh, sempai. Girlfriend."

Gajeel huffed. "I don't have a-" He paused when he saw Levy standing by the shop window. She raised a large cup of soda with one hand and with the other, held a paperbag with the logo of a nearby fastfood chain. Huh. He didn't think she'd be back from the takeout line so soon. He raised a hand to tell her to wait, then looked back at the two teens. "No."

They both shrugged, and he didn't know if they were psychically-linked now or what but they both said, "You like her though." Then they looked at each other with bright smiles on their faces. "Jinx!"

Gajeel frowned. "Yeah. But no. Whatever. I hate you both. Get back to work."

Both teenagers just smiled cheekily at him as he turned to leave. When he stepped out from the store, he saw Levy waving goodbye to Sting and Rogue before she turned towards him. She beamed. "Jet just texted me, he says he's at the park now with Droy. Stage's all set."

Cana had been right when she told them during the brainstorming session that the dance battle was good exposure for the Guild. They might not have won, but they got offers from talent agents left and right. Of course the best deal they were offered was the tour, but while they were settling the talks for that, some of the members accepted quick, one-time gigs to pass the time.

A lot of people liked the guitar and tap combo from the performance, and it meant that Levy, Jet and Droy's trio basically took Gajeel in. They were like a band without a vocalist but with dancers playing percussions instead. It was a new, fresh spin on a traditional performance, so they were getting lots of gigs lately.

The one they got for today was an event in the town park. They were guest performers.

He accepted the paperbag she handed to him, smelling burger and fries inside. Snacks while they walked towards the venue. "Good. Uh-" he paused when his phone beep and he checked the message. "It's Juvia. Auditions just started."

"I'm sure she'll nail it." Levy said with her bright smile. "Gray's with her, right?"

"Yeah, but he'll be outside." he typed in a quick reply. A simple good luck message. After a moment's hesitation he added that it was from him and Levy… and another moment before including Jet and Droy too. He knew how supportive they were of Juvia anyway. She'd surely appreciate it.

They reached the next block before he received the reply.

"Heh. We'll go out and celebrate if she gets in, huh." he chanced a glance towards Levy. She was sipping soda while they walked. "What d'you think?"

The woman blinked up at him. "Yes?"

Gajeel was quick to say, "Wanna tag along?"

He tried not to think too much about it. He knew he'll fuck up if he did.

Levy blinked again before she giggled teasingly. "What, you need someone to third-wheel with you again, hm?"

Dammit, he liked her, and he's winging this shit.

"Nah, more like, I'm gonna third wheel and maybe, y'know. You, uh, kinda… wanna be fourth wheel?"

They stopped walking, and Levy looked up at him, blinking rapidly, trying to process the question.

Did he just...?

DID HE REALLY-?

"Wow. Okay..." She held his gaze straight and unflinching when she said, "No."

He sighed. "Er, right, I guess you got stuff to do-"

She didn't let him finish as she continued, "My favorite number is three… so, uh. So I wanna be the third wheel, you be fourth. Is that okay?"

Gajeel felt the beginnings of a smirk grow on his lips as he snorted, looking away slightly before he ended up staring, spacing out, or making a fool of himself. "Heh. I can live with that."

Levy beamed as she looped her arm around his and they continued walking towards the park.

That was a good way to start the day, really.

But for now, they have a gig to get to.

.

As her turn came up, Juvia felt an odd sense of calm. Maybe it was Gray's words. Maybe it was just sheer determination.

She knew she worked hard to get here. Everyone had told her she had talent. They believed in her. She just didn't want to let them down-

That's not exactly it, though.

She wanted to do this. For herself.

She'll be dancing Lucy's song. It was Juvia's favorite from _'Glitter'_ , if only because she felt a personal connection to it. She had always wanted to dance to it but never really came up with anything that she thought would do justice to the song and how important it was to her.

That was, until after the dance battle. It was quite the experience, but after that, she just knew that she could do more. This new routine was that - no holding back, she put her all into it, and then some. She was not the same lost girl who wandered in the Guild garage a few months ago. She had learned a lot of things since then.

"Miss Lockser. Your style is... lyrical contemporary." the woman in the middle of the judging panel started. Juvia knew who she was. Long, light blue hair and stern gaze - it was Aquarius herself. "You had no formal training, but you impressed us with your audition video. Let's hope you live up to it. Are you ready?"

Juvia breathed out again, taking in her newfound strength. She nodded.

"Yes."

She turned her back towards the panel. This was her first position.

The music started. There was the soft sound of the piano playing, and as the familiar vocals were heard, she began to move.

 _((I spend too much time thinking about who I'm supposed to be...))_

She started with subtle moves, stepping forward, tilting her body to the rhythm. Her steps were rough, robotic, her head was down and her arms were drawn to herself.

 _((I play by everybody's rules, that don't seem right to me.))_

She started to extend one arm before using the other to draw it back as she stepped and turned backwards. Her turns were abrupt, stopping midway before she curled in to herself again. It was a picture of hesitant rebellion. Her expression was a guarded one, a mask of indifference.

 _((I'm cool and polite, on the outside-  
When I get a chance, I run and I hide...))_

Her moves became more erratic then. As she stepped forward again, she did a flip and several pirouettes followed by a quick leap and as she landed on her knees, she remained on the floor, just kneeling down and as she looked up, one hand covered her eyes while the other tried to pull it away.

 _((If your eyes are closed, it's hard to see...))_

Juvia did a controlled roll on the floor before standing back up all in one smooth move. During the week she worked with the Guild for the dance battle, she had learned quite a lot about control and grounding. It was her first time learning choreography made for her, and Erza's routine had her doing a lot of things she never tried before.

There were several impressed murmurs from her spectators, but she ignored them, focusing on the song.

 _((What if I back down now, 'cause I'm afraid of what might happen?))_

Now she extended her arms in an invisible struggle, her arm movements more intricate. She owed that one to learning a bit of pop-and-lock from the others.

 _((What if they turn away when I show them who I truly am?))_

From that, she smoothly transitioned to flips and twirls, one hand raised and another pressed to her chest.

 _((What if I lose my breath when I throw those big doors open?))_

When she landed, she gracefully extended her arms and stepped forward. After that, she withdrew her arms and stepped back again, but after one turn, she held her head up and did an impressive set of unassisted flips.

 _((Or tonight, just tonight...))_

She raised her arms, fists clenched as she spun several times gracefully, a confident smile blooming in her face.

 _((What if I shine?))_

She didn't rest after that, landing on the floor and doing quick floorwork to transition to faster movement. The other instruments came in as the song started a faster, livelier pace, and she caught up with it, doing a set of impressive flips, leaps and pirouettes across the floor, one after the other.

This one, she owed Lisanna and Erza for giving her tips in doing acrobatic moves.

 _((Should I even care?  
They're all sitting there, and everyone's staring at me...))_

Juvia let out a growing smile as she moved across her stage in sheer bliss. Then she ended back in the center of the studio again, hardly pausing for breath as she did an arabesque, one leg extended high in the air while she turned. Then she raised her head heavenwards and raised her arms in a graceful sweeping manner.

 _((If I step out in the spotlight, maybe I'll be set free...))_

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She's going to finish this.

She launched back into action - magnificent leaps punctuated with graceful arm gestures and legwork, followed by complicated combinations of flips and twirls with her arms spread wide, a breathless hopeful and smile on her face.

 _((But what if I sing out loud?  
Because anything can happen!))_

Every so often she descended for elaborate floorwork, her arm and leg control standing out as she made it look effortless to transition back and forth from doing floorwork to getting back up.

She seemed to clutch at her heart before reaching upwards again and then doing consecutive pirouettes moving across the floor, even inserting some high kicks in between.

 _((What if I stand up proud and show them who I truly am?))_

With the livelier chorus, Juvia could use her 'new style' as Erza called it. Fluid motions mixed with well-placed, snappier moves that matched every beat of the lyrics. It was reminiscent of animation and pop-lock, but the way she incorporated it to the routine still made it look natural in lyrical contemporary.

 _((They're gonna call my name,  
and I'll throw these big doors open!))_

Juvia made a great leap and landed on her knees before quickly maneuvering herself back on her feet.

 _(('Cause tonight, just tonight...))_

She simply, slowly stepped forward, arms still outstretched as if savoring the moment. Taking it all in.

Then she did one last flip, followed by several consecutive pirouettes. She slowed down gradually until she was back standing still, now facing the panel, with her head held high.

 _((I'm gonna shine!))_

.

Gray stood to attention when the doors opened and people started coming out from the audition halls.

He anxiously searched the crowd for familiar blue hair, and was both nervous and relieved as he spotted her. She was very obviously looking for him too.

It was a breath-taking when Juvia caught his eyes… and all at once her expression broke into a victorious smile.

Gray smiled back, and then laughed when the woman crashed against him in pure bliss.

 _She did it._

.

.

 **. f i n .**

.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's a wrap!

It's a pretty optimistic ending, eh? Can you see the credits rolling?

 **Dance/Musical Notes:**  
\- I considered a LOT of songs for Juvia's audition, but "What If I Shine" really got her journey in Sparks down pat. It also sounds like a very character-based song, so it fits well if you see it as part of a musical (which it is!), so plot-wise I made it part of 'Glitter'. When brainstorming, I imagined Lucy singing this in a grander manner, a la Wicked's _The Wizard and I_.

Now I always say this: THANK YOU for reading Sparks - for the sweet messages, comments and reviews on it! You guys brighten my day. This really was just an experiment I decided to write just to get it off my head and it turned to something I really enjoyed writing. I didn't know how it would work out, and it was great to see you guys responding so positively to it. I LOVE Y'ALL.

I don't really have any next plans for another Fairy Tail fic... maybe I'll focus on original stuff again. But I do have a lot of leftover backstory materials, unwritten and cut scenes from the outlines/drafts, and I think I'll post them up somewhere sometime. Maybe I'll put up some sidestories, either here or on my Tumblr. Who knows? I do hope that I can share the next stuff with you guys again.

Until then - see you around!

\- Ali


End file.
